Us & Them: Rebooted
by Madcap Minstrel
Summary: Sephiroth was given the chance to live a happy life when Professor Gast took him in. However, Shinra refused to let him go without a fight. Eventually, he is forced to face his past, and his own personal demons as he embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Re-write of a story I started 10 years ago.
1. Chapter 1: July 1984, A Promise Kept

Disclaimer: I don't work for Square Enix. I never worked for Squaresoft. I have no intentions of profiting off this. So please don't sue me.

This is my re-write of a story I wrote nearly ten years ago. This reboot is longer, more developed, and hopefully will have fewer errors and "forced" writing. I also adapted this to be more Compilation-friendly, as the other games hadn't been released when I started this saga. I know some authors have purposely ignored the Compilation, but I actually find the ins and outs of the entire saga quite interesting, so I'll be following details from Crisis Core and Before Crisis, since this story mostly takes place during an altered version of that time period.

* * *

Chapter 1: July, 1984…A Promise Kept

_ How could things have gotten so out of hand…?_

Those were the words going through the mind of Professor Faremis Gast as he tried desperately to line up the numbers on the safe before the timer installed in it went off.

_ …Ten to the left…59 to the right…97 to the left…_

The door to the safe popped open. Gast searched the inside, finding a key, and a summoning materia. He quickly pocketed both items and hurried out of the room. He knew he didn't have much time. Eventually, someone would notice the suspicious activity coming from the recently abandoned mansion. Even though it had been cleared out months ago, there were still plenty of SOLDIERs around given the experiments that Professor Hojo was conducting in the reactors. Plus…_she_ was still there, so there was always at least a couple of troopers in town guarding her.

_ The reason why all of this heartache started…if I'd only had been away that day nine years ago…we would never have found her…_

But they _had_ found her. The creature that he'd proudly named Jenova. The creature that his former colleague Professor Hojo had become obsessed with. The creature who ultimately was responsible for the death of his assistant Lucrecia seven years ago. So much had happened because of…her.

Gast hurried down the spiral staircase as fast as he could. Upon reaching the bottom, he knew which door to look for. It was the first one on his left. Hastily, he jammed the key in the lock, turned it, and shoved the door open.

_If the notes I found are true...then he'll still be here...Planet have mercy..._

He stepped inside a dark room filled with several coffins. The coffin in the center immediately caught his eye. Seeing the heinous experiments Hojo had gotten away with conducting, Gast knew not to put anything past that madman. He went over and tried to lift the lid of the coffin, but it was too heavy.

Just then, the lid of the coffin flew off, nearly knocking the professor over, crashing just behind him. When the dust cleared, he saw a man emerging from the coffin.

"Who disturbs my sleep?" the man asked as he brushed a strand of jet-black hair out of his face. He wore a red headband, a black jumpsuit, and a red cloak. He opened his eyes, revealing his blood-red irises. On his left arm was what appeared to be a golden gauntlet...or possibly a prosthesis.

"Kind of a trite line to be using, don't you think?" Professor Gast chuckled nervously as he pocketed his camera and pulled off his ski mask.

"Professor Gast?" the man squinted.

The professor acknowledged him with a nod as he put his mask back on. "It's been a long time, Vincent Valentine."

The man in red said nothing.

Gast lowered his head sadly. "I had no idea…it wasn't until last week that I found out what had really happened to you. I was told that you had committed suicide after what happened to Lucrecia."

Vincent remained silent.

"I originally thought that if I could find any incriminating evidence against Hojo," Gast said, "that he'd be fired. But ever since President Shinra took control of his father's power company, there's been corruption everywhere- including human resources. I've heard he's already started grooming his five-year-old son Rufus to take over. I suppose if he gets to the boy while he's young…"

"President Shinra has a son?" Vincent looked at the professor, "How much time has passed?"

"Seven years," Gast answered, "What happened, Vincent? What did Hojo do to you?"

Vincent smirked bitterly. "We had a verbal disagreement over his treatment of Lucrecia. He pulled out a gun. How I didn't see it coming…I guess I'll never know. I woke up with this thing…" he held up his claw-like left arm, "attached to my arm, and discovered a few other...'surprises'."

_Hojo…you bastard…_Gast thought angrily. "Can you stand up?"

"What for?"

"SOLDIER could come bursting in at any minute. If I'm to get you to safety…"

"No…" Vincent shook his head, "This is where I belong…this is my atonement."

"Vincent…if this is about Lucrecia…"

"I couldn't protect her." Vincent closed his eyes at the pain of that statement.

"Years ago, I heard you promise to look after her child should anything happen," Gast reminded him, "Lucrecia may be gone, but Sephiroth is still alive."

Vincent's ears perked up at the name "Sephiroth".

"So he at least had the decency to give the child the name she picked for him," Vincent muttered.

"He's seven years old," Gast told him, "The last thing I did was try to save him…but with all the guards there, I had no chance."

"Let's go," Vincent said abruptly, and then stood up and stepped out of the coffin.

"But you just said-!"

"I changed my mind," Vincent walked over to the door, "I'll make sure you get out safely. Then when we're both safe, you can go wherever it is you plan on going from here."

"My wife must be worried sick about me," Gast said absently as the two men headed out of the room and up the staircase.

"You got married?" Vincent looked mildly interested.

"A few months ago." Gast couldn't help but grin.

"Congratulations," Vincent said.

The two made their way up the stairs, out of the room, down the stairway, and toward the front door.

"Wait…" Vincent grabbed the professor's arm.

"What is it?"

"They're here."

"SOLDIER?"

Vincent nodded, and threw back his cape, revealing a holster at his left side. He quickly grabbed the pistol inside. Gast stared at the gun confusedly.

"Hojo probably hoped I would use it on myself," Vincent answered, as if he'd read the other man's thoughts, "All I know was, the man wasn't thinking straight that day…as straight as that man could ever think, anyway."

"Will a six-shooter be enough against SOLDIER?" Gast looked worried.

"Is there anything else you have in mind?"

Gast immediately remembered the summoning materia that he'd found in the safe just a few minutes ago. He pulled it out, and handed it over to Vincent.

"You're probably much more skilled with this than I am."

"Thank you." Vincent clumsily took the red orb in his claw, still not quite used to maneuvering the metal digits. He secured it into the single slot of the weapon, where the orb seemed to be completely absorbed by the gun. "Stay back," he ordered as he began approach the door. No sooner did he do that then the door was blown off its hinges.

"Freeze!" yelled a trooper as he and three others held up their machine guns and charged inside.

With lightning speed, Vincent raised his gun and fired away, hitting each of the men in their arms. Each trooper dropped their guns, a couple of them going off, but the bullets landing nowhere near Vincent or the professor.

_BAM!_

In the confusion, two Turks had appeared in the doorway. One of them had taken advantage of the spectacle and fired a pistol at Vincent, and then again several times. The former test subject howled in agony as he felt searing pain in his left leg, thigh, right shoulder, and the far left side of his ribcage.

"Vincent!" Professor Gast screamed.

_Must be a rookie for his terrible aim…_Vincent thought weakly, before a strange haze began to consume him. _So once again, this happens…Hojo…you bastard…what have you done to me?!_

The professor stood rooted in shock as Vincent fell to his knees. What he saw next would forever haunt his dreams.

An unnatural sounding howl escaped from Vincent's throat. An equally foreign red light began to envelop his body, completely concealing his injured form. When the light dissipated, Vincent Valentine no longer stood there. In his place, stood a large, horned creature. One half of its skin was a grayish blue, while the other half was the same color as Vincent's jumpsuit. Several spike-like objects protruded from its arms- the left one having two bangle-like objects circling both its elbow and wrist, much like the joints of Vincent's prosthesis. On its head was a wild silver mane reaching down to its waist. There, Gast could see Vincent's cloak wrapped around the creature's lower body.

_By the Planet…what are you…? _ Gast stepped back, terrified. The Turks and troopers did the same.

The creature suddenly whirled around to face the professor, its wolf-like mouth struggling to say something. It managed only one word:

"_RUN!_"

Gast needed no further explanation as he fled the scene, disappearing into another room. Feeling like a coward for leaving Vincent- or whatever that thing was- to fight alone, he listened to the horrific sounds coming from the entryway. Eventually, there was silence. Still, the professor sat looking at the floor, not noticing how many minutes had passed. It wasn't until he heard footsteps approaching the door that he finally looked up.

Vincent stumbled in the room, completely back to the way he was before.

"Are you all right?" the professor asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," Vincent stated, "This condition doesn't last long. I apologize if I scared you. This is only the second time it happened."

"What was that...?"

"He calls himself Galian Beast," Vincent said grimly, "He is only one of the many demons that...speaks to me."

"What happened to…?" Gast almost didn't want to know the answer, remembering the spikes sticking out of the creature's shoulders.

"I don't know why they sent so many rookies out here," Vincent shook his head disgustedly, "I managed to knock them all out. As for the Turks- they're more equipped to deal with people rather than monsters. They both ran."

Gast stood up, his determination back in full force. "They'll be waking up eventually, then. We should leave now."

"Where are you heading to?" Vincent asked as they made their way to the back door.

"My vacation house in Icicle Inn," Gast answered, "No one in Shinra knows about it. It was the only place I could rest without getting bombarded with calls from work. One would think that I didn't need any time off…"

Vincent patiently listened to the older man ranting on as he followed him out the door. _Just like the old days_…he nearly smiled to himself. _Gast would talk and talk, and then Lucrecia would give me that "here he goes again" look…oh god…Lucrecia…_

"Vincent?" the professor looked back at his companion, a look of concern on his face, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Vincent said immediately, "How do you plan to get home?"

"I have a small plane docked at the base of the Nibel Mountains," Gast told him, "It has more than enough room for the both of us. I'm sure my wife won't mind if you hide out with us for a while."

"Thank you for the offer, but I have other matters to attend to first," Vincent replied.

Gast stared at the man. "You just escaped after being in what I'm assuming was a coma, for the past seven years! You can't just go running off by yourself!"

"It wasn't a coma. I slept on purpose."

"Even so-!"

"You're staying at Icicle Inn, right?"

"Yes, but-!"

"I will meet up with you later, then. First, I have to take care of something."

"Vincent-!"

"I will escort you to your plane, and that is where we'll part ways for now," Vincent gave Gast a look that said the discussion was over.

The professor sighed. "How long do you expect your 'other matters' to keep you?"

"I'm not sure. But I don't intend to fail. We will meet again. For now- let's find your plane before Shinra finds us. I still have unfinished business with them…"

* * *

"Faremis!" Ifalna Gast rushed over to her husband of four months, "Thank the Planet you're back!"

The professor caught her in an embrace. "Sorry I worried you."

"You're damn right you worried me!" Ifalna stepped back and lightly punched her husband's shoulder, "You've been gone a week with no way for me to reach you! So did you find what you needed to get Hojo fired?"

"I did…" Gast sighed, "But it did me no good. The board of directors didn't even care. They tried to make me think that I was working too hard. They ordered me to take a month off. So I did. What they don't know is that I have no plans on going back. Believe me, I was tempted to burn my bridges and tell them where they could shove their new reactors, but it seems dangerous to make an enemy of that company now."

"So what now?" Ifalna looked at the professor.

Gast led her downstairs to the master bedroom. "I'm not sure. I was able to right one wrong, however."

"Oh?"

"You remember me telling you about Vincent Valentine, right?"

"The Turk who used to date your assistant before she left him for Hojo?"

"The same. And apparently, he was another one of Hojo's victims. Right before Lucrecia died, he and Hojo got into a horrible fight. For some reason, Hojo was able to overpower Vincent. I suppose Vincent was too angry to think straight, and he let his guard down. Hojo shot Vincent, and then proceeded to conduct secret experiments on him. He was left in a state of hibernation for seven years. The man doesn't seem to have aged a day. I found out about him, and was able to rescue him."

"…And how is he?" Ifalna asked.

"I don't know," Gast admitted, "I initially hoped I could get him to testify against Hojo, but he left after escorting me to my plane. Said he had unfinished business with Shinra, and then took off. I just hope he knows what he's doing…"

"Well, I'm just glad to have you back," Ifalna put her arms around her husband's neck and kissed his cheek, "We both are..."

"Huh?"

Ifalna smiled. "I'm pregnant."

Gast's jaw dropped in shock.

"I'm not sure how far along I am," Ifalna continued, "But I figured you could help me find out. After all, you _are_ a doctor as well as a scientist. Feel up to being my OB-GYN?"

"You're sure?" Gast gulped.

"I took five different home pregnancy tests," Ifalna admitted, "I'm as sure as I can be without seeing a real doctor,"

Gast clapped his hands in delight. "A baby…we're going to have a baby!" He pulled his wife toward him and began to dance around the room, the two of them laughing gaily.

Maybe things were going horribly right now. With Shinra overstepping several ethical boundaries, Vincent's bleak fate, Gast knew things were far from over. However, for this one moment, he allowed himself a moment of peace. He was going to be a father, and for now, that was the only thing that mattered.

* * *

Three days had passed since Ifalna had told Gast the good news. He'd run a few tests on her, and determined her to be about two months pregnant. Meanwhile, he'd strutted about the house, and around town like a proud rooster since hearing the wonderful news.

Finally, after dinner, he'd decided to do another interview with Ifalna. It was something he'd been working on- his own special research that she'd been helping him out with since before they were married. It had been quite a while since the last time he'd worked on it.

"Ifalna, can you comment on the thing called 'Weapon'?"

"Yes, honey-" Ifalna promptly broke off into giggles. This was the first interview he'd conducted with her since they'd gotten married. "I mean, _professor_..."

Gast smiled as his wife continued to speak.

"The one the everyone mistook for a Cetra...was named Jenova."

The professor cringed slightly.

"That is the 'crisis from the sky'. The Planet knew it had to destroy the 'crisis from the sky'. You see, as long as Jenova exists, the Planet will never be able to fully heal itself."

"Back then, Weapon was a guardian the Planet produced of its own will?" asked the professor.

Ifalna nodded. "Yes, but... There is no record of Weapon ever being used. A small number of the surviving Cetra defeated Jenova, and confined it. The Planet produced Weapon, but it was no longer necessary to use it,"

"So, WEAPON no longer exists on the Planet?"

She shook her head.

"WEAPON cannot vanish," she explained, "It remains asleep somewhere on The Planet. Even though Jenova is confined, it could come back to life at any time. The Planet has not fully healed itself yet. It is still watching Jenova."

She was about to continue when there was a knock at the door.

Gast harrumphed as he shut off the camera and went to see who had interrupted his work. He opened the door, revealing-

"Vincent!"

"I said I'd meet up with you eventually," Vincent reminded him dryly, "May we come in?"

In his arms was a small child wrapped in a blanket, fast asleep, his own arms wrapped around a wooden sword.

"Who is…?" Gast leaned over and removed part of the blanket from the child's face, "Vincent…you didn't…!"

"I promised to keep him safe," Vincent stated, "He's not safe in the labs. Anyway, you said you wanted to get him out, so I decided to help. If I can't kill Hojo right away, then I can at least inconvenience him in the worst possible way."

"Faremis? Who's at the door?" Ifalna walked into the room.

Vincent tried not to smirk as he stared at the woman before him. She had to be at least ten years younger than the thirty-eight-year-old professor.

_Trophy wife…only without the ex. I certainly can't say I ever saw _that_ coming…_

"Vincent, meet my wife Ifalna."

"How do you do?" Vincent bowed his head politely.

"Uh, dear, this is Vincent Valentine," Gast looked uncomfortable, "And the child is…well…Sephiroth."

"The boy who carries Jenova's cells?!" Ifalna looked horrified.

"He himself is not Jenova," Gast pointed out.

"But still- that boy is dangerous! What is he doing here?!"

"He is as much a victim as you would be if they knew about-" Gast began to say.

"Faremis!" Ifalna immediately tried to shush him before he could say anything else.

"We can trust Vincent," Gast assured her.

Ifalna looked at the odd pair still standing in the open doorway. Trust that man? She shook her head in bewilderment. He looked like a serial murderer!

_Faremis trusts him…_a voice in the back of her mind gently reminded her.

Ifalna sighed. "At least come inside, then,"

Vincent nodded as he stepped inside. Gast closed the door and motioned for everyone to step inside the living room.

"How is he?" Gast asked as Vincent set the boy down on the sofa.

"He's heavily sedated," Vincent answered, "But he'll be fine. Apparently he'd just finished with another one of Hojo's tests. It made it much easier to get him out...although he grabbed onto the doorway and wouldn't let go until I took his sword with us."

"What about SOLDIER?" Gast looked concerned, "That place is guarded beyond belief."

"I discovered many other 'gifts' given to me by Hojo. He must have somehow not realized that they could potentially be used to his disadvantage. To make a long story short- it wasn't that hard…for me anyway."

"How many witnesses were there?" Ifalna's voice held a hint of panic.

"There's no way they could figure out where I went," Vincent assured the woman, "And we stowed away on a merchant ship that has nothing to do with Shinra whatsoever."

"But…!"

A small groan turned everyone's attention to the couch. Sephiroth was beginning to wake up.

Gast went over to the child. "Sephiroth? Are you all right?"

"…Professor Gast…?" the boy mumbled, "They told me you were taking a medical leave…"

"I quit, actually," Gast informed him.

"…You're leaving?" Sephiroth looked upset, despite still being groggy, "No…don't leave me…you're the only one here who's ever been nice to me…!"

The professor chuckled, "You've left too."

"Huh?"

"You're no longer in the Shinra labs," Gast told him, "My friend Vincent decided to take you out of there. Away from Hojo, and away from the tests."

Sephiroth's eyes widened as he looked around the room. He'd never seen this place before.

"You're safe now," Gast said gently as he knelt down next to the boy, "Why don't you get some sleep? You must still be tired. Don't worry- everything is going to be alright now."

Sephiroth silently obeyed, and closed his eyes.

"You two are free to crash here for a while," Gast declared as he stood up.

"Honey…" Ifalna continued to look uneasy, "May I speak to you downstairs…?"

* * *

"Are you _trying_ to put us in danger?!" Ifalna whispered furiously as the two stood in the bedroom, "Shinra's prized experiment is sleeping on our sofa as we speak! Vincent is now a wanted fugitive for kidnapping him probably, and you know what they'll do if they find me! And what about our unborn child?!"

"Believe me, sweetheart, we're much safer now that those two are here than we were yesterday," said Gast, "I told you what Vincent did when we were ambushed."

"Oh, that's right! Vincent can magically transform into a werewolf!" Ifalna snorted, "That makes me feel so much better!"

"Darling…"

"Don't 'darling' me!" Ifalna snapped, "This is serious! You've done some crazy things, Faremis, but this tops them all! We were safe when Shinra thought you simply quit. But if they find out it was you who let Vincent out, who in turn stole that boy from the labs, then they'll arrest you! They'll then arrest me for suspicion of assisting you. I'll wind up right back in that horrible mako tube…I could even end up like Lucrecia! And our child could end up in those labs for the rest of his or her life!"

"I won't let any of that happen!" Gast argued, "Ifalna…you and this child…" he reached over and gently touched his wife's stomach, "I left my home to be with you. Do you honestly think I'd be so reckless as to put you in danger? This land is completely untouched by Shinra. As long as we're far away from Midgar and Nibelheim, we will be safe. None of the other countries would simply allow SOLDIER to storm in and harm its residents."

"Ohhh…!" Ifalna pouted, "Why do you have to sound so convincing all the time?"

"Because you know I'm right," Gast said with a smirk.

"All right…" Ifalna sighed, "They can stay for a few days, I suppose."

"Was that so bad?" Gast chuckled.

Ifalna rolled her eyes.

"Let's go back upstairs," said Gast.

* * *

A/N: I've decided to take things in a different direction with Vincent in this re-write. I tried to "wrap things up" with him the first time around in a way that now seems sloppy and forced. This chapter didn't require too much editing, but stay tuned, and let me know what you think so far!


	2. Chapter 2: A Place To Call Home

Chapter 2: A Place To Call Home

"Ah, you're awake. I had wondered if some of the drugs I had to administer for the tests might keep you out for the rest of the day. I guess not."

The former Turk looked around groggily. What had happened? Then he remembered. Two days after he and Sephiroth appeared at the door of his former co-worker, the professor had offered to examine Vincent, in hopes of finding a way of undoing the damage that Hojo had caused. Gast had specifically asked Vincent to put himself in the same stasis he had been while in the coffin, so he could be more comfortable, and so he could study the stasis itself.

"I wish I could say I had good news..." said Professor Gast, "but it's going to take a lot of time to figure out how exactly Hojo did what he did to you, let alone how to fix it. The blood and hair samples, and biopsies I've taken will keep me busy for a long time, but I suggest you keep coming back here every once in a while so we can touch base."

Vincent licked his lips, trying to speak, but found himself too weak to use his voice.

"The Chaos fusion..." Gast said as he shook his head, "...it was too perfect. I think you know what I'm speaking of..."

"It speaks to me," Vincent said miserably, "While I slept...I still had many nightmares."

"Oh, and I also removed that claw from your arm while you were out. I have to say- that thing was like a shackle! I had a hell of a time getting it off!"

Vincent absently moved the fingers of his now free left hand.

"I know you're distressed over the alterations that Hojo made to your body," Gast said sympathetically.

"'Distressed' is quite the understatement," Vincent sighed.

"However, you might possibly be better off in the end, as that will protect you from your enemies- and you've made one hell of an enemy by setting that little boy free. Now how do you feel?"

"Thirsty."

Gast nodded as he went over to the sink and began to fill one of his measuring cups.

* * *

"What are these?"

Ifalna frowned at the boy sitting at the kitchen table. "You mean to tell me you've never eaten pancakes before?"

"They always gave me a protein shake every morning," Sephiroth told her, "Then I'd start training an hour later."

Ifalna nodded. The boy had told her the other day that he had begun training in swordplay when he was five. Though he hadn't said much about it, the look in his eyes told her that it was the only thing he did during the day that ever gave him any real pleasure.

"Wow…" Sephiroth swallowed his first bite and stared at his plate in awe, "These taste…incredible."

Ifalna smiled. She had beseeched the Planet, asking it Sephiroth was any part of Jenova's threat. As usual, it had left her with a cryptic answer:

_ No. Yes.  
_

The Planet's habit of never stating anything clearly had always annoyed her, but it's voice had been calm and reassuring. She knew that if the Planet didn't consider Sephiroth to be of any harm, then she didn't need to be scared.

"Thank you again for breakfast," Sephiroth held his empty plate, utensils and glass to her.

"My, you inhaled that, didn't you?" Ifalna exclaimed as she took them over to the sink to rinse.

"Regular food tastes much better than Shinra food."

"I know," Ifalna said.

"You do?"

"I was a prisoner there as well...for only three months, though. I couldn't imagine being there for seven years."

_That might just kill me..._she thought.

"You were rescued too?"

"Yes...by the professor."

"Where is he?"

"He's been running tests on Vincent since much earlier this morning," Ifalna said as she finished rinsing and placed everything in the dishwasher. "Hojo did some terrible things to Vincent, and now Faremis is trying to fix him."

"…Do you think he could fix me too?"

Ifalna went over to the boy and sat down next to him. "What did you want him to fix?"

Sephiroth ran his fingers through his silver hair. "I know it looks weird," he sighed, "I've never met anyone else with it. Same thing with my eyes."

Ifalna chuckled slightly. "Sephiroth, Vincent is being worked on because what Hojo did to him might be a danger to his health. Your hair and eyes aren't that kind of problem. Besides- I think they look lovely just the way they are. You're unique. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I don't like people staring at me the way they do," Sephiroth looked sad, "That's why I like the professor. He never looked at me that way. You don't look at me that way either."

"Neither does Vincent."

"But when he does look at me, he seems to get really sad."

"Well, he was a good friend of your mother," said Ifalna, "You probably remind him of her. He really misses her."

"He knew Jenova?"

"Oh, no…" Ifalna shook her head emphatically, "Jenova is not your mother."

"But Professor Hojo said-"

"Don't believe a word out of that man's mouth," Ifalna interrupted him, "That man has been a thorn in my husband's side for years now. He's cheated his way through his job by cutting corners- no matter who it hurts in the process."

Sephiroth looked down at the table, as if mulling over what the woman had just said.

Ifalna stood up. "Hmm…" she said thoughtfully, "I should head over to the store and buy some groceries. Will you be all right by yourself for a while? I shouldn't be more than half an hour. Feel free to watch some TV."

Sephiroth nodded and got up out of his seat as Ifalna went over to the entryway and grabbed her coat.

"I'll be back," Ifalna called out, "Just stay up here until then."

"All right," Sephiroth answered as he turned on the TV.

* * *

"So often I wish that I'd never gone on that expedition," Gast sighed, "I feel partly to blame for what happened to Lucrecia. I should have never left Hojo in charge of the Jenova Project either."

"You're not to blame," Vincent held up a small mirror he found, looking distastefully at his crimson eyes, "I should have put my foot down with Lucrecia."

"The woman was stubborn," Gast shook his head, "Ifalna reminds me a lot of her, actually."

"At least I could do right by her son…though he suffered for seven years because of my self-pity," Vincent sighed as he got dressed, "But he'll be happy with you and your wife. He already likes you."

Gast looked at Vincent. "You sound as if you're going to leave him here. I thought you would take the boy with you."

"I am not fit to look after Lucrecia's son," Vincent stated, "As soon as I'm completely recovered, I'll be leaving."

"Y-you can't just dump him here!" Gast sputtered, "I already have one child on the way!"

"Then I'm sure you can find him a good home," Vincent replied as he fastened the straps of his cloak, "I can't exactly go around knocking on people's doors asking them to take the boy in."

"Maybe if you cut your hair and changed your outfit, people would be less afraid of you," the professor pointed out, "Besides- it'll keep Shinra from recognizing you."

"I'm not finished with Shinra yet," said Vincent, "I'll find a way to destroy them. Sephiroth would only be in the line of fire if I took him with me."

"Vincent…" Gast decided to address an issue that had been bothering him for years now, "You don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but…it was obvious how you and Lucrecia felt for each other. But she broke things off with you almost immediately before she became pregnant…do you think there's a chance that…?"

"There is," Vincent nodded, "But that doesn't make a difference. If I am the boy's father, then it's even worse. I should have protected my son from Shinra. Instead, I rationalized that if Lucrecia was happy with Hojo, it didn't matter. So I took another mission far away, not even putting two and two together. By the time I came back, things had already gone to hell."

"I could run a DNA test," Gast offered.

"As I said- it makes no difference. However, I know how insatiable your curiosity can be sometimes. I know you'll do what you want."

"Vincent…please reconsider-!"

"I feel much better now," Vincent interrupted, "So I'll be going. Thank you for everything you've done for me, and for welcoming both myself and Sephiroth into your home. Trust me- it's best for him no matter who his father is."

He spied the claw lying on the table and grabbed it. He then walked up the stairs, forcing himself not to look at the boy sitting in front of the TV set. He left, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

"So there's no doubt at all?" Ifalna asked the next day.

Gast had been up late running the DNA test. He'd found a strand of Sephiroth's hair on the couch, as he'd predicted, and ran it against the samples he had taken from Vincent. Thus, he was able to conduct the test without having to directly involve Sephiroth.

_After all, the boy's had enough tests done on him to last two lifetimes…_he thought grimly.

"No doubt at all," Gast sighed, "The tests were 99 percent conclusive,"

"And he had the feeling he might be the boy's father," Ifalna said angrily, "And just left him here!"

"Hojo changed him," Gast looked sad, "Vincent used to be a man of honor…or at least as much honor as a professional assassin could have. Vincent seems almost…broken now. He's not the same man they hired as security for the science department nine years ago,"

"…Yet another atrocity to add to Shinra's list," Ifalna clenched her fists, "Forcing a man to abandon his own son…"

Suddenly, a crash could be heard from upstairs. The couple bolted upstairs see what had happened.

They reached the living room to find Sephiroth huddled in a corner. Three feet away from him lay a shattered mug.

"Sephiroth?" Ifalna ran over to the boy while Gast grabbed a broom and began sweeping the broken pieces of clay together. "What's wrong?"

The silver-haired child shut his eyes tight. _ I will not_ cry…he thought._ Crying is weak! Hojo always said that…_

_ Didn't Mrs. Gast say that Hojo was a liar?_ A voice in the back of his mind asked him.

"W-why…" Sephiroth managed to ask, "Why doesn't my father want me?"

Gast stopped sweeping midway and looked at his wife, who laid a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder.

"You heard us talking?" she asked gently.

"Some of it…" Sephiroth admitted, "That Mr. Valentine was my father…but he was abandoning me. Why? Why can't I be like those kids outside? Like the kids on TV who have both a mother and a father? Why do I look different? And where am I going to go now?"

Gast and Ifalna looked at each other. Nothing more needed to be said. Both knew what would be done now.

"You're not going anywhere," Ifalna reassured the boy, "You'll live here with us now. I know we're not your biological parents, but the professor and I can take care of you from now on."

"Consider us your new parents," Gast announced, smiling as he dumped the broken pieces of the mug into the trash. He walked over to Sephiroth and Ifalna, then knelt down and ruffled the boy's hair playfully. "Though most TV parents aren't as eccentric as we are. Think you can live with a couple of oddballs?"

"Who's an oddball?" Ifalna pretended to glare at her husband.

The former test subject looked at both Gast and Ifalna. Finally, the dam broke. He curled up into a ball and burst into tears.

"Shh…" Ifalna reassured him, pulling him close to her and hugging him tightly, "It's all right now…welcome home, Sephiroth."

* * *

"Have some apple cider," Ifalna filled a small cup and handed it to Sephiroth, where he now sat on the couch.

"Thank you," Sephiroth sniffled as he took the cup and began to drink the warm liquid.

Gast sat down next to him. Ifalna sat on the opposite side.

"How do you feel?"

"I'm sorry about the mug…" Sephiroth said sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it," Gast said, smiling, "The important thing is that you're all right."

Sephiroth finished the cider and set the cup down on the coffee table.

"Things are going to be different for you from now on," Gast told him brightly, "I think the four of us are going to be a very happy family from here on out."

"Four?" Sephiroth looked puzzled.

"We're going to have a baby," Ifalna confessed with a smile on her face.

"A baby?" Sephiroth still looked confused, "But I didn't see any tubes here."

"Tubes?" Ifalna scowled.

"He means the tubes that the fetuses of animals created in the lab are raised in," Gast explained, "No, there aren't any test tubes involved. Our baby is developing the natural way. It's inside my wife."

"Inside?" Sephiroth's eyes widened as he tried to comprehend that idea.

"You know basic algebra and yet no one told you about how babies are born?" Gast chuckled.

"Should they have told me?"

"Babies naturally grow inside their mother, near the stomach," Ifalna told him, "In a few months, you'll start to see,"

"When will it come out?"

"In about seven months," Gast answered, "Meaning you'll have a little brother or sister eventually,"

"Wow…" Sephiroth looked amazed, "How did it get there?"

Ifalna and the professor suddenly glanced at each other nervously.

Gast stood up, "If you're feeling up to it," he said, trying to change the subject, "Why don't we all go for a walk together? The weather's a little warmer than usual today- what do you say?"

Sephiroth smiled for the first time since he'd arrived at his new home. "Sure."


	3. Chapter 3: Little Sister

Chapter 3: Little Sister

"You're almost there!" the professor shouted excitedly, "Just a little more…"

Ifalna's knuckles were beginning to turn white from clenching her fists so tightly for so long.

"Keep pushing!" Gast urged, "So close…!"

He could hear Sephiroth's agitated footsteps coming from above. Just then, Ifalna screamed in pain, and the footsteps became louder and quicker.

"One more!" Gast couldn't contain himself, "One more, honey!"

Ifalna screamed one last time as she pushed as hard as she could.

"You're all done!" yelped the professor, "It's over! She's here!"

"She…?" Ifalna panted.

"Yes, she!" Gast did as best as he could to tie off and cut the umbilical cord with one hand, dropped the scissors, and then grabbed a small white blanket and proceeded to wrap the squalling baby in it. "We have a daughter!"

Ifalna smiled weakly as her husband walked over to her with the tiny bundle.

"Aeris," he said to the small infant, "Meet your mother."

Ifalna weakly pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed and took her new daughter in her arms, leaning back against the headboard.

"So you're still hung up on that name, then?" she smiled, "But it is a good name, considering it came out of that forgetful head of yours…"

"Isn't it?" Gast beamed, "Oh, the video tape!"

He rushed over to the camera and took it off the tripod on the corner.

Ifalna balked. "You…taped the whole thing?!"

"Sure did!"

"You taped me all sweaty and screaming…and all those obscenities?"

"Every filthy word."

Ifalna sighed. "Remind me again why I married you?"

"Because smart men are just that irresistible?"

"I hope you don't inherit your father's cockiness," Ifalna said to the baby, who was beginning to quiet down. "Should we tell Sephiroth it's all right to come down? Would you stop pointing that damned contraption at me?!"

"Alrighty," Gast went upstairs, still looking through the camcorder. He didn't need to go very far, as Sephiroth stood anxiously at the top. "There you are. Come and meet your new sister."

Sephiroth hesitantly followed the professor down the stairs, where he slowly made his way to the bed. He stopped about three feet away.

"You can come closer," Ifalna encouraged him, "Come see."

Sephiroth warily obeyed, and tiptoed to the edge of the bed, where he took his first look at the baby.

"This is Aeris," Ifalna smiled, "Aeris, meet your big brother Sephiroth."

The eight-year-old could only stare in stunned silence.

_ So tiny…so helpless…was I like that once?_

Over the months, Sephiroth had learned Ifalna's secret: that she was the last known living member of the Cetra race. He knew that she could hear things from the spirit of The Planet, and could communicate with her deceased ancestors. He also knew that she possessed an amazing green thumb. He knew that it was a Cetra that Shinra was after, who in their ignorance, had mistaken a parasitic alien for one of the Cetra, resulting in the experiment that created him and ultimately killed his mother. He also knew that Ifalna had been imprisoned by Shinra before, and would rather die than go back. He understood that part all too well.

The idea of Hojo ever getting his hands on his new mother and little sister made his skin crawl. True he was just a child, but the experiments over the years had left him with some amazing abilities...of which he planned to use against anyone who dared to intrude on his new life with his new family.

Aeris began making gurgling noises. Sephiroth slowly reached his hand out to hers. The baby immediately grabbed his finger with her tiny hand. Sephiroth couldn't help but smile.

"Hello, Aeris," he said softly.

* * *

Gast glanced over his shoulder. Ifalna was fast asleep, and Sephiroth had gone to bed a couple of hours earlier. Aeris was also asleep, though he knew that could change at any moment. This was the perfect time for him to write his latest journal entry. He flipped through the book, until he came to a fresh page. He couldn't help but smile. For so long, he had been surrounded by computers, yet in the end, he would always prefer pen to paper when it came to his own personal records. He picked up a pen and began to write:

_February 14, 1985_

_It's been one week since the birth of my amazing little girl. By all accounts, she seems to be a normal, healthy baby...not unlike Sephiroth...at least according to the records Hojo kept. When they informed me that Lucrecia had passed away, I took a leave of absence. I spent years traveling the world, doing a lot of soul-searching. I felt as though her death, and the alleged suicide of Vincent Valentine, was all on my shoulders, for having stumbled on that accursed creature in the first place. Jenova. The name now makes me ill to say or write it._

_I'm grateful to Vincent for having brought Sephiroth to live with my new family. In the span of only a year, I now have a wife, a daughter, and a son. Sephiroth is very dear to me. He has been through what one might very well refer to as pure torture during his short life. For the past seven months, he has been able to relax, and finally be the little boy that he really is. He likes cartoons, running around in the fresh air, and candy. Last week, he tried pizza for the first time, and at himself sick. He's still having trouble remembering not to do that...like any child._

_He is only just starting to socialize with the other children. Yesterday, he was in his first snowball fight with a group of children near the inn. I noticed he used his right hand to throw, however. When I questioned him about it, he told me he was afraid he might hurt someone if he used his left(dominant) hand. His empathy is nothing short of a minor miracle given all that was done to him as a child.  
_

_One thing worried me today, however. I received a letter from Vincent(with no return address...big surprise), updating me on how he's doing, and informing me that he would be coming by in the spring. He also wished Sephiroth well. When I passed that message on to the boy, he immediately stated that he couldn't care less. I hate the idea that Sephiroth might grow up resenting Vincent, just because the man is suffering from a lot of emotional damage. The boy is too young to understand, but I hope that he begins to one day. Sephiroth has made so much progress. I have every hope that he will grow up to be a fine young man, and be a wonderful role model for his new sister._

Just then, he could hear Aeris fussing on the baby monitor. Quietly, he closed the book and got up, not wanting to wake his wife up. He then tip-toed out of the bedroom.

* * *

"Again with the camcorder?" Ifalna frowned as she and Sephiroth walked into the entryway, "You just got through taping only a couple of hours ago!"

Aeris was now almost three weeks old, and the subject of an increasing number of home movies. While Gast constantly obsessing over his daughter amused Sephiroth, Ifalna was getting annoyed.

"Please don't say it like that," Gast pleaded, "It's our lovely daughter- both yours and mine! Don't you want to capture her childhood on tape? You agree with me, right, Sephiroth?"

"Uhh…" Sephiroth looked uncomfortable, "I kinda get nervous when you tape me practicing, actually."

"Traitor!" Gast pretended to pout.

"If you keep doting on her like that," Ifalna put her hands on her hips, "she won't grow up to be strong. Both Aeris and Sephiroth are different from the other children. And though that makes them all the more special," she put her hands on Sephiroth's shoulders, "Sephiroth is already aware of the dangers that awaits him. Aeris needs to grow up tough as well."

"Never say that our children are in danger," Gast shook his head, "I'll protect my family no matter what. You three are my treasures, and I don't ever intend on letting you go."

Ifalna smiled. "You always know what to say to make me feel better," she walked over to her husband and put her arms around him, "If I hadn't met you, I…"

"Should I take Aeris into the kitchen?" Sephiroth asked dryly.

His adoptive parents burst out laughing.

"Sorry, sorry," Gast apologized, "We'll behave, won't we, darling?"

"I suppose we'll have to," Ifalna sighed, but kept smiling.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Sephiroth dashed over and opened it revealing…

"Hojo!" Gast looked alarmed.

All the color drained from Sephiroth's face. In front of him stood indeed, Professor Hojo, along with two members of Shinra's SOLDIER.

The gaunt man laughed. "Long time no see, Faremis. I've been searching for you for a long time. Hello, Ifalna…or should I say, Cetra? Hello, Sephiroth. Did you enjoy your vacation?"

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Sephiroth finally found the courage to speak.

"Language, boy! Is that any way to greet your caretaker?" Hojo scolded him, "After all, I practically raised you."

"Professor and Mrs. Gast did a much better job raising me these past seven-and-a-half months than you did for seven-and-a-half years!" Sephiroth spat.

Hojo merely shoved past the boy and entered the house.

"How…did you know?" Gast managed to ask.

"Oh, believe me- it wasn't easy," said Hojo, "I had to turn over quite a few stones to find you. A whole year I searched. You have no idea how frustrating it is to lose not one, but two important specimens."

He then noticed the cradle nearby. "Oh…what's this? Congratulations, Faremis...I had no idea that's how it was between you two."

"Don't you touch Aeris!" Sephiroth forced himself between Hojo and the cradle.

"Hmm, Aeris, is it? That's a nice name."

Ifalna went up to Hojo. "Please," she pleaded, "Aeris has nothing to do with this! All you want is me, right?"

"You, Sephiroth, the infant…I need you all." He turned and glared at Gast. "I thought you understood once, Professor. We can change the future of The Planet."

"Don't worry, Ifalna," Gast growled, "I'll take care of this."

He charged at Hojo, preparing to deck the man, until one of the soldiers fired, hitting Gast in the leg.

"Faremis!" Ifalna screamed.

Aeris promptly began to wail.

"Bastard!" With lightning speed, Sephiroth ran over and snatched the gun from out of the soldier's hands. He quickly brought the gun down on his knee, snapping the wooden part, and bending the metal, rendering it completely useless.

Before the other soldier could react, Sephiroth kicked him in the shin, efficiently snapping his tibia. The man dropped his gun howling in pain, which Hojo immediately picked up and aimed at Gast once more.

"No!" Sephiroth jumped in front of Gast, and suddenly emitted a dark grey barrier, encircling Gast, Ifalna, and Aeris. Hojo fired, but the bullet was absorbed by the globe.

"Amazing…" Hojo marveled, "So I finally get to see Shinra's future general in action,"

"I'll never work for Shinra!" Sephiroth exploded, "Get out! Your stupid soldiers are weak, and I could break your neck in two and you know it!"

"You little fool!" Hojo growled, despite looking somewhat afraid, "Do you think you're just going to live 'happily ever after' with Gast and his family? Do you think you and that baby are going to simply fit in with the rest of the world? You're a _freak_, Sephiroth. But if you'd decided to stay with Shinra, you could have been a hero!"

"I'll kill you!" Sephiroth shouted angrily.

Hojo backed away toward the door. The unarmed soldier helped the wounded soldier to his feet, and the two followed.

"This isn't over!" Hojo shrieked, "Not by a long shot! You can run, but I'll follow you time and time again!"

They left, slamming the door nearly off its hinges.

Sephiroth released the barrier, and promptly collapsed to his knees in exhaustion.

"-Hang on, Faremis," Ifalna was saying as a green glow surrounded her hands that were touching Gast's wound, "You'll be back to normal in no time,"

Despite her reassuring words, tears were running down her face.

"Are you all right, Sephiroth?" Gast winced.

"I'm alright," Sephiroth slowly got to his feet, "But you got shot!"

"I've got that covered, sweetie," Ifalna wiped her eyes, "He just needs to stay off his leg for a day,"

"We don't have a day to wait," Gast struggled to his feet, leaning on his good leg and peering into the cradle. Aeris was still crying.

"How is she?" Sephiroth asked worriedly.

"She's fine," Ifalna went over and picked her daughter up, "She's just frightened. Who could blame her? Shh…" she consoled the infant, "It's all right. Mama's here…everything's fine..."

"We can't stay," Gast stated flatly, "We need to leave this area. We should settle somewhere that's not only free of Shinra's influence, but also densely populated. They won't dare try to attack if there's other people around."

"They're probably watching us," Ifalna pointed out, "They'll know where we go."

"Not if we leave at night," Sephiroth told her, "I have an idea. If we leave once the sun finishes setting…I can see in the dark…you could follow me to the plane. We'll get in and I'll take them out if they try to shoot us down."

"That's too dangerous-" Ifalna began to say, but Gast held up a hand.

"He's right," said Gast, "It's our best choice. We have just enough time to pack what we need. Food, clothes, materia, and Sephiroth's sword."

Ifalna looked at her husband, and then at Sephiroth and Aeris.

"All right," she sighed, "I guess we have no choice…"

* * *

Sephiroth sat in the plane while Gast flew it over the ocean. Next to him, Ifalna sat holding Aeris, who was fast asleep.

They had managed to arrive at the plane without any problems. Some local vigilantes had chased Hojo and the soldiers out of town, not even allowing the wounded soldier to heal himself. The plane had taken off without a hitch, and they had been in the air for about an hour.

He stared out the window into the night sky.

_Do you think you're just going to live "happily ever after" with Gast and his family? _ Hojo's bitter words rang in Sephiroth's ears. _Do you think you and that baby are going to simply fit in with the rest of the world? You're a _freak_, Sephiroth..._

Sephiroth sighed.

"Don't listen to Hojo, Sephiroth," Ifalna spoke suddenly, "If I could find happiness in this world, so will you and Aeris. That, I can promise you."

"You don't need Shinra to turn you into a hero," Professor Gast added, "You were a hero tonight, Sephiroth. Thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there tonight."

The silver-haired child nodded silently, too exhausted to say anything. He then leaned against the window and quickly fell asleep.


	4. Chapter 4: April 1992, Corel

Chapter 4: April, 1992

"Seph!" bellowed a loud voice, "Get yer silver ass over here and take care o' that cart!"

Fifteen-year-old Sephiroth looked up from his map and hurried over to where his supervisor, 20-year-old Barrett Wallace was waiting.

"Damn…" Barrett whistled as he watched the silver-haired youth effortlessly push the cart filled with coal out of the mine. Five years working with that kid, and yet the boy's strength never ceased to amaze him.

Gast had settled the family in a house located near downtown Corel. He had taken a job as a doctor, while Ifalna spent the first few years staying home taking care of Aeris and Sephiroth. The entire family had changed their names. Professor Gast became Dr. Simon Lanier, Ifalna became "Irene", and Sephiroth was now "Joseph"(which allowed his adoptive parents to continue calling him "Seph"). Only Aeris' name had remained unchanged, after Gast insisted that Hojo would never remember it after hearing it only once. He had also made sure to take or incinerate anything with her name on it before they had left Icicle Inn.

Sephiroth had been put in the local school system, but quickly tested into tenth grade. Gast hired a tutor for the boy. By the time he was ten, he'd passed his high school equivalency test and had taken a job part-time in the coal mines.

"Aren't there child labor laws here?" Ifalna had asked.

"Sephiroth doesn't need those laws," Gast had chuckled, "Something tells me he'll do a better job than the full-time workers,"

It was true. Not only did he excel at his job for only being ten years old, but Barrett, who was also working part-time, had taken him under his wing. Barrett was loud and often quite rough, but Sephiroth knew it was just a macho front and put up with it.

The two had met not long after the Gast family had settled into their new house. When Sephiroth first set out for the local playground in hopes of making friends, he had attracted the attention of a group of girls, led by an eleven-year-old named Eleanor. They had approached him and begged him to let them braid his long, silky hair, which hadn't been cut during the entire time he had lived in Icicle Inn(He was ten before finally allowing Gast to take him to see the local barber). He had allowed them, not knowing the negative attention he would attract from the boys.

When a youth named Dyne and his friends began teasing the boy, Barrett hung back, not wanting to get involved. When Sephiroth retaliated by throwing one of the boys into the lake, he was surprised and pleased. Barrett invited Sephiroth to play soccer the next day. After a crash course that involved Sephiroth accidentally deflating the soccer ball(fortunately, the boys had a spare), Sephiroth mastered the game. However, it was Capture The Flag that he was an absolute master at. His entire team could get captured, and somehow, the boy would win all on his own. At first, his teammates would ignore his strategical suggestions, and blow the game for him. In fact, it had taken over a year before they finally began listening to the younger boy.

Sephiroth remained friends with Barrett, became friends with Dyne, and nursed a one-sided crush on Eleanor. His adoptive parents weren't surprised that he was drawn to older children.

In the meantime, he'd kept up his swordplay, even taking kendo classes. Now he was a junior instructor at the local dojo, and he owned a real metal sword, albeit with a dulled edge. Eventually, he came to be known as the town's resident "boy wonder", though he was still pretty much a loner for the most part.

Aeris was able to grow up normally, attending the local public school. Though her intelligence didn't compare to Sephiroth's genius, she still excelled in all her classes, particularly reading, and skipped the first grade.

"She has her father's brains, after all," Gast had said proudly.

She was a sweet child, who was the spitting image of her mother, in looks and in her special abilities. By the age of four, Aeris was already tending to her own houseplants, and listening to the Planet. Ifalna had educated her daughter on her abilities, and also had warned her not to reveal them to anybody.

"Hey, Seph!"

Sephiroth turned around and looked at his older friend.

"It's two-thirty," Barrett grinned, "Get the hell outta here."

Sephiroth smirked slightly and nodded at the larger man. "Later," he waved.

* * *

Dozens of children came running out of Corel's elementary school. Among them was seven-year-old Aeris. Happy to be done with school for the week, she looked around the sea of parents there until she saw a familiar face waiting for her.

"Hi, Sephy!" Aeris broke into a big grin and ran over to her "big brother".

Sephiroth smiled and held his hand out to her, which she promptly took. Together, they left the schoolyard and walked down the road leading home.

"How was school?" he asked, looking down at the little girl.

"Bo-ring..." Aeris answered in a sing-song tone as she swung her free arm back and forth, "All we do on Fridays is review what we learned the rest of the week."

"Mmm." Sephiroth grunted, nodding.

"Hey, big brother?"

"Hmm?"

"Can we go to the park?"

"I don't see why not. We'll leave a note for Mom as soon as we get back home."

Ifalna had taken a part-time job at the pharmacy once Aeris had started Kindergarten. Usually, she got off in time to pick Aeris up from school, but she stayed later on Fridays, since Sephiroth would work an earlier shift and would fetch Aeris in her place.

Aeris smiled brightly. The park was her favorite place to play. She could amuse herself for hours there when given the chance. Not only could she run endlessly through the fields, and play on the small playground with the other children, but it was the best place to hear the Planet's voice. She could lie on the grass for up to a half-hour sometimes. Though the other residents of Corel found that behavior to be slightly odd, they merely dismissed it as a childish idiosyncrasy.

"Hurry_ up_, Sephy!" Aeris was growing impatient with their leisurely pace and had begun to tug on the older boy's arm.

"Fine, fine," Sephiroth scooped the little girl up off her feet and into his arms. With a squeal of surprise, she managed to scramble onto his back until she was riding him piggy-back. Sephiroth began to jog the rest of the way home, with Aeris laughing gleefully the whole time.

* * *

Vincent stood on the outskirts of town watching the cars come and go through the town gates. He'd heard about the Lanier family from a reliable source. Having his suspicions, he'd followed the rumors to Corel.

Seven years he'd searched. Despite all the rationalizing about Sephiroth being better off without him, he'd found himself wanting to know the results of the DNA test he was sure Gast had conducted. If he was Sephiroth's father, well…he wasn't sure what he could possibly do for the boy now, considering his mission to destroy Shinra.

However, all he found when he had returned to touch base was an empty house and dozens of wild rumors about the eccentric man with the glasses and his family. He'd spent those seven years chasing after every rumor he'd encountered. Finally, his efforts had led him to Corel.

Taking a deep breath, Vincent exhaled nervously and slowly began making his way into town.

* * *

Sephiroth sat on a bench watching Aeris playing with a few of her schoolmates. They had been at the park for over an hour-and-a-half. He would have preferred to get home early to catch up on his swordplay, but he'd always had a soft spot for his adoptive sister, and could never say no to her.

"...Eight…nine…ten…ready or not, here I come!"

Sephiroth watched Aeris scouting around the playground in search of her playmates. He'd seen where each of the three other children had hid...not very original hiding spots. He figured that once she found them, it would be time for them to go home.

He closed his eyes for a second as he listened to the sounds around him. The birds, the insects, the children…even the pickup softball game going on in the artificial grass field behind them. He'd heard those sounds so many times, but he could never get enough of it. Had Professor Gast not found that riddle Hojo left in the Shinra mansion, he would've never freed Vincent, who in turn, would have never freed Sephiroth from the Shinra labs.

_ The only good thing he's ever done for me..._he thought bitterly about Vincent.

Sephiroth was suddenly ripped from his reflections when he heard Aeris' terrified scream coming from behind him. Quickly, he bolted to his feet and blindly followed the sound. Suddenly, he felt someone small slamming into him. He looked down to see Aeris clinging to him, her eyes wide in terror.

"What's wrong?" he asked sharply.

"There's a scary man!" Aeris pointed at a shadowy figure about fifteen feet behind her. Sephiroth recognized a familiar red cloak.

"Let's get out of here now," Sephiroth grabbed her hand and led her away.

"Who is he?" Aeris asked worriedly.

"No one worth talking to," Sephiroth replied angrily, "Let's go before he can bother us anymore."

* * *

Vincent watched Sephiroth and the little girl leave, wondering at Sephiroth's hostile reaction to seeing him. He was sure the boy had recognized him.

_ Were those tests positive? Does he now resent me for leaving him? I suppose he should…_

The girl bore a resemblance to Gast's wife. Perhaps they'd had children. It would explain why she had been with Sephiroth. No matter, though. It was going to take a lot more to shake him off. He'd spent a long time trying to locate the Gast family, and no angry teenager was going to shoo him away just yet.

* * *

"You both seem quiet this evening," Ifalna observed as the family sat in the living room watching TV.

Sephiroth shrugged. He'd always had his quiet moments. That was nothing new.

"Not that I wouldn't expect that from Sephiroth," she continued, "But…" she turned to look at Aeris, who looked away.

"I'm just…thinking about…chocobos!" the little girl lied. Sephiroth had asked her not to tell their parents about the strange man in the park.

Sephiroth closed his eyes. His kid sister had always been a terrible liar.

"Chocobos?" Ifalna obviously wasn't buying it. "And what about chocobos?"

"Um…well, I was thinking that…" Aeris fumbled for a good story, "When I grow up…I want to get a…blue chocobo."

"And that's been on your mind all evening since you came home?"

"Blue chocobos…require a lot of thought!" Aeris covered, trying to sound as grown-up as she could.

Her father snickered.

"All right," Ifalna wasn't having it anymore, "What happened? Sephiroth? Don't think I can't see that look in your eyes either- you're both hiding something. Spill it."

The doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Sephiroth sprang to his feet and headed toward the door.

"I'll help!" Aeris dashed after him.

"This isn't over!" Ifalna called after them. "Honestly!" She shook her head at her husband. "Chocobos?"

Suddenly, Aeris screamed. Both parents ran to the front door where they saw Aeris shoving Sephiroth's sheathed sword into his hands.

"Don't come any closer! My big brother'll cut you into little pieces!" Aeris warned the red-cloaked man in the doorway. She promptly hid behind Sephiroth.

"What the hell do you want?" Sephiroth spat at him, "Haven't you scared her enough for one day?"

"Vincent?" the professor scowled, "Is that you?"

"May I come in?" Vincent asked.

"What for?" Sephiroth sneered.

"Sephiroth, let him in," Ifalna said wearily.

"But-!"

"Let him in," the professor echoed.

Sephiroth sullenly obeyed, and stepped aside, allowing his biological father to come inside.

* * *

"So it's true then," Vincent sighed as he sat at the kitchen table with the two adults, "And now my son hates me. But at least he's safe…he's happy…isn't he?"

"Vincent…" Ifalna looked sympathetic.

"It's not like I didn't expect it," Vincent looked down at the table, "The longer it took for me to find him, the more resentment I knew he'd have toward me."

"That was partially Hojo's fault," said the professor, "I had no way to let you know what happened, or where we were going. How did you even find us?"

"I searched for a long time," Vincent admitted, "A lot has happened since we last saw each other…"

* * *

"I can't hear what they're saying," Aeris complained. She and Sephiroth were waiting outside while the adults talked.

"I have no interest in what that man has to say," Sephiroth said coldly.

"But he's not a bad man," Aeris cocked her head to one side and looked at Sephiroth, "Mama and Papa let him in and they're just talking. He's not even that scary once he takes off that cape and the thing on his arm. Who is he?"

"He…" the silver-haired youth hesitated, "He's my real father."

"Really?" Aeris looked intrigued, then frightened, "Has he come to take you with him? Are you gonna leave us?"

"Of course not," Sephiroth answered immediately, "This house is where my family is. Vincent Valentine abandoned me years ago. He did one good thing for me and then ditched me."

"What did he do?"

"He got me out of the Shinra labs."

"He got you away from the bad people?"

Sephiroth nodded.

"But he saved you," Aeris pointed out, "He must love you if he saved you."

"After wallowing in his own self-pity for seven years," Sephiroth added, "If he really loved me, he'd have used those weird powers he had then to save me before they could put me through all the hell I went through as a little kid!"

Aeris immediately held out her hand. Sephiroth sighed and dug into his pocket, pulling out a gil coin and handing it over. It was a ritual they'd had for three years now.

"Don't swear," Aeris scolded him as she pocketed the money, "You sound like Barrett."

The teen sighed.

* * *

"Avalanche?" Ifalna frowned. "What's that?"

"Let's just say that I'm not alone in my quest to destroy Shinra," Vincent told her, "I've since met a few others who hate what they've done as much as I do."

"So you've joined a terrorist organization then?" Professor Gast shook his head. "When did this happen?"

"About six months ago, while I was searching, one of the false leads led me to them," Vincent explained, "They…helped me find you."

"Terrorists know where we live…" Ifalna sighed, "Lovely."

"Avalanche isn't like that," Vincent insisted, "They could protect you. Hojo is still searching for you. If I managed to find you eventually, so could he."

"We're aware of the fact that Hojo is still a threat," Gast acknowledged, "Shinra is trying to take the world by force."

"So you're aware of their invasion of Wutai," said Vincent, "Yes, they've begun to stoop to even lower levels. Junon is slowly being taken over, along with Gongaga. Until Shinra has a political and economic hold on every country, I doubt that they'll stop their reign of terror."

Ifalna sighed and looked worriedly at her husband.

"You always read historical texts about dictators who have enslaved countries like this," Gast looked weary, "But how does one stop an entire corporation?"

"We realize it's not easy," Vincent admitted, "But if no one tries to stop them, it'll only get worse."

"And your...condition?" the professor asked.

"...Manageable," said Vincent, "I've decided to allow things to stay as they are...for the time being. Once Shinra is done for, I'll have no need for my...'gifts'. We'll talk about finding a cure then."

"I'd like to give you a checkup regardless. There's also a few things I've discovered about your condition from studying the samples I took from you eight years ago."

"Very well. I'll stop by tomorrow afternoon, if that works for you."

Gast nodded. "We'll discuss it then."

Vincent stood up. "I should probably be on my way. I'll be staying at the inn for a few days. I hope you consider my offer."

He then opened up his bag, and pulled out a brand-new set of white mythril shoulder pauldrons.

"I had a feeling he would stick with the sword," Vincent said, "These are adjustable, so they'll fit him years from now."

Ifalna sadly traced her finger over the shiny metal.

"Goodnight, Professor...Ifalna..."

"It's 'Irene'," Ifalna absently corrected him as the front door closed behind Vincent.

"He won't take them," Gast sighed.

"The armor is the least of our worries," said Ifalna, "What are we going to do?"

"We've got a lot to figure out..." Gast agreed.

* * *

"Preparations for your flight to Corel tomorrow are complete, Professor."

Hojo nodded absently at the trooper standing in front of him.

"Excellent. Dismissed."

The young man left the lab.

_Finally…after seven years…I knew it would be a matter of time. All I had to do was follow that ex-Turk…soon the Promised Land will be within reach…_

He smirked._ Gast…I've already taken your job…but the look on your face when I take your entire family away from you…but that's what you get for standing in my way. Soon…the woman and those two children will be mine!_

* * *

Sephiroth sighed as he walked down the road the next afternoon. His concentration had been off, and the head instructor had sent him home early to "get his head straight". He'd arrived home, only for Ifalna to send him out to buy groceries. Bored, Aeris had begged him to let her come with him, and he'd agreed. He was now in a hurry to get home, unload the groceries, and take off for the rest of the evening, knowing that Vincent would be showing up.

"Sephy, slow down!" the little girl whined as she struggled to hold onto one of the bags and keep up with the older boy.

Sephiroth realized how fast he was walking, and slowed his pace, allowing the child to catch up.

"Sure was a long list," Aeris remarked, "How long have we been out?"

"Almost two hours," Sephiroth answered as he wrinkled his nose. _Could swear I smell smoke…_

_"Hold it!"_

Sephiroth and Aeris turned around to see three troopers pointing their guns at them.

"Sephy…?" Aeris dropped the bag of groceries and clung to her brother.

"Is there something wrong?" Sephiroth asked coolly.

"We have orders to take you in," one of the troopers barked as he glared at the two kids, "Just come along quietly. We've already taken your parents into custody."

"What!?" Aeris looked horrified.

"Technically, Hojo only needs the woman," another trooper said, "So unless you want Professor Gast to die, I'd suggest you come with us now."

"How do we know you're not lying?" Sephiroth glared at them.

"How do you know we are?" the lead trooper countered.

"You know that I could kill you with my bare hands," Sephiroth narrowed his eyes.

"Bullshit!" the second trooper scoffed, "What the hell can a scrawny kid like you do?"

"…Don't tempt me," Sephiroth hissed.

The second trooper made a move to grab Sephiroth, but the youth quickly caught the man's arm and promptly twisted it behind his back.

"I could snap that arm if I wanted to," Sephiroth leered at the other two troopers as the second one cried out in pain.

The lead trooper seized the opportunity and grabbed Aeris.

"I'd let go of him if I were you," he warned Sephiroth, "Don't think you want anything to happen to her now would you?"

"You're bluffing," Sephiroth didn't budge, "Hojo would have your heads if you damaged his precious specimens."

"Do you really want to take that chance…?"

Aeris looked desperately at Sephiroth, too scared to move or speak.

Suddenly, a gun went off nearby. The lead trooper screamed in agony and grabbed his leg, letting go of Aeris in the process.

With one quick jerk of his wrist, Sephiroth snapped the bone in the second trooper's forearm.

"Come!" Vincent appeared and grabbed Aeris, quickly leading her away with Sephiroth following. The third trooper began firing, but with one quick shot to his hand, Vincent disarmed him and kept running down the road toward the town gates.

They stopped only when they heard the sound of a helicopter flying directly over them.

"I'm afraid it's too late, Vincent," a familiar voice spoke over a loudspeaker, "Professor Gast and his wife are with me now. And I must thank you for having led me to them. Who knew I'd stumble across you two years ago? You've been lurking around Midgar this whole time. You've really let your guard down, haven't you?"

Sephiroth stared wordlessly at Vincent, his eyes full of rage.

Strange noises began coming from the loudspeaker, as if there was a scuffle going on.

"Run!" Ifalna's frantic voice shouted, "Don't worry about us, just get out of there!"

The scuffle resumed momentarily, and Hojo's voice came back on.

"Just give up, you three," said Hojo, "It's over!"

"They really have my parents…" Sephiroth whispered in horror.

"Mama…!" Aeris screamed, and began to cry loudly.

Vincent grabbed Sephiroth's arm.

"We can't stay," Vincent growled, "Sephiroth, you need to get Aeris out of here. I'll hold the soldiers off until you're gone."

Sephiroth did _not_ want to co-operate with that man, but he knew he had no choice.

Sephiroth held his hands out for Aeris. Vincent handed the still hysterical child over to him. He closed his eyes momentarily and summoned all of his strength. This was a move he'd been working on for the past year, only doing it late at night, outside the city limits, when he was certain that no one could see him. Even the professor and Ifalna hadn't know about this…

He leaped into the air, and a large black wing sprouted from his shoulder, flapping frantically and propelling the two children forward.

Aeris screamed in terror as she gripped tightly, burying her head in Sephiroth's chest. Just then, they heard a loud roar. Sephiroth looked up, and saw a large winged being with long horns on its head soaring above him. The being looked down at him, its familiar-looking red eyes glowing as it stared, almost menacingly.

_It's me..._Sephiroth heard his father's voice in his head. _Follow me..._

"What's that sound, Sephy?!" Aeris shrieked.

"Keep your eyes closed, Aeris," Sephiroth ordered her, "Do not open them until I tell you to. Do you understand?"

Aeris nodded.

A flash of orange caught Sephiroth's eye, and he glanced down below to see the house, along with the ones next door, in flames.

_Thank the Planet she didn't see that…_he thought as he followed the creature.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Sephiroth demanded to know as he followed Vincent through the wilderness. It had been ten minutes since the odd trio had landed about half a mile from the city limits. Ten minutes since the fearsome entity transformed back into Vincent, and Sephiroth had allowed Aeris to open her eyes. However, the trauma of the prior events had left the little girl mentally exhausted, and she was now asleep in Sephiroth's arms.

"It's quite a ways away," Vincent answered, "It's just a place where very few people live. I often go there myself to be alone when I'm in the area."

"I didn't ask for a back story," Sephiroth snapped.

"It's at the base of the mountains up north that lead to the coast." Vincent cut to the chase, "A popular area for survivalists and hikers to spend time, but no Shinra. There's a wilderness store a few miles away where we can stop to buy camping gear and food. We can be there in half an hour if we walk fast."

"I don't need your help, you know."

"Maybe not," Vincent replied evenly, "I don't doubt that you can take care of yourself. But a seven-year-old girl's safety is at stake. What could you possibly do for Aeris by yourself? Both you and she are Hojo's prime targets. Do you want to see her go through what you went through when you were her age?"

Sephiroth clenched his fists and looked away. Damn him for going there! "I'll kill anyone who tries to do that to her."

"They _will_ try," Vincent told him, "Besides- Aeris just lost both of her parents. The last thing she needs is to constantly be on the run. Give her time to sort it out."

"…Fine," Sephiroth relented, "For Aeris' safety."

Vincent and Sephiroth resumed walking.

"Aren't you even going to bother telling me what happened while we were in the air?" Sephiroth asked.

"You've witnessed my ultimate power," Vincent simply stated.

"You can turn into a monster?"

"The beast's name is 'Chaos'," Vincent explained, "If you want to learn more, I did manage to steal Hojo's notes on the subject some time ago. I'll be happy to print out a copy of them for you to read, the next time I have the chance. But for now, we'd better hurry."

* * *

Vincent lay on the ground some distance away from where Sephiroth and Aeris sat. The child had finally woken up, and was now inconsolable. Sephiroth was doing his best to comfort her.

_So Gast finally gets his way,_ Vincent thought as he stared off into space, _I'm now responsible for the safety and general well-being of my son…not that he wants it anymore..._

Vincent hadn't expected Sephiroth to run to him with open arms, but he still hadn't been prepared for the verbal assault his son had given him. He knew that their future wasn't looking so great.

_Wouldn't it be a riot if this were all an elaborate scheme cooked up by Gast to force me to finally be in Sephiroth's life on a permanent basis? Ironic since that was the main reason I was searching for him…_

But as Aeris' sobs brought him back to reality, he knew that Gast would never be that cruel to his little girl, nor to the youth he'd considered to be his son for the past eight years.

"What happened to Papa and Mama?" Aeris wailed as she clung to Sephiroth's arm, "Where are they?!"

"I don't know," Sephiroth admitted, "Maybe Midgar or Nibelheim, but I can't be sure."

Aeris climbed into the older boy's lap. "What's going to happen to them?"

Sephiroth took a deep breath. "Aeris…do you remember when your friend Reisa's cat died? How you felt its spirit returning to the Planet?"

Aeris nodded.

"Do you feel either of their spirits returning there as well?"

"No!" Aeris shrieked as she leaped off of his lap and glared at him through her tears, "Why do you say bad things like that?!"

"I'm sorry, Aeris..." Sephiroth apologized hastily, "I just wanted to make sure…that they're still alive. As long as you don't feel their spirits the way you felt it when that cat died…then there's hope."

"I want Mama…!" Aeris began to cry again.

"I know," Sephiroth clenched his fists despite himself, "And we'll try to find them. But in the meantime…I'm still here. Big brother isn't going anywhere."

"Don't leave me!" Aeris threw her small arms around his neck.

"I just told you I wouldn't," Sephiroth chuckled lightly as he patted the little girl on the back.

Finally, Vincent cleared his throat.

"What?" Sephiroth cast an irritated glance at his estranged father.

"I'll find them," Vincent said coolly, "You just take care of Aeris."

"The hell I will," Sephiroth growled, "I've got business with Hojo as well."

"Don't swear, Sephy!" Aeris sniffled.

"Sorry," Sephiroth amended, before returning his gaze to Vincent.

"I just listened to you promise Aeris that you weren't going anywhere," Vincent reminded his son, "And now you want to storm Shinra headquarters?"

"As if you alone would do any better?" Sephiroth countered, "Eventually, I _will_ go after Hojo."

"They're probably expecting you to show up," Vincent went on, "And if anyplace is well-equipped to capture you, it would be the Shinra building. Then they'll find out where Aeris is, and take her too."

Aeris' grip tightened around Sephiroth.

"Are you trying to scare her?" the silver-haired youth snapped at Vincent.

"Are you trying to break your promise?" Vincent retorted.

Sephiroth fumed. Vincent had hit him where it hurt.

"We'll figure out a plan," Vincent told him, "I know I'm not exactly your favorite person, but you'll have to trust me for now. I may not have been there for you, but have I ever lied to you?"

Sephiroth sighed. _It's true…_the back of his mind reminded him, _he's never actually deceived you._ He then looked at Aeris, still clinging to him, and sighed once more.

"All right," he whispered, "For Aeris."

"Good," Vincent said.

"I have to pee..." Aeris announced suddenly as she stood up and wiped her eyes.

Vincent reached into his bag and pulled out a roll of toilet paper, handing it to Aeris. She took it and ran behind a large tree.

"No peeking!" she shouted.

Vincent reached into his bag again and pulled out the pauldrons from the other day.

"I found these when I arrived at the house, only to find the Shinra army there. I took them with me before they set the fire. Professor Gast showed them to me the other night. I guess he wanted the opinion of a fighter before he gave them to you," Vincent lied.

He handed the armor to Sephiroth, who closed his eyes and held his new present close.

"Find them..." the boy whispered shakily.

Vincent nodded.

* * *

A/N: It felt right to be able to put Chaos in this story, however briefly. He'll return in later chapters.

Vesta Prime: Thank you for the compliment. Perhaps everyone said what they had to say when I published the first version of this story. Then again, this is where things begin to diverge. Hopefully everyone is simply waiting before they begin commenting.


	5. Chapter 5: Where Do We Go From Here?

Chapter 5: Where Do We Go From Here?

"_I'm so sorry._"

Vincent looked around the small mountain range, standing on the highest peak as the person on the other end of his PHS continued to speak:

"_I wish I knew what to do for you, but Avalanche hasn't tried anything so drastic as to organize a break-in, let alone a rescue. We're political activists- not warriors._"

"Circulating anti-Shinra propaganda isn't going to bring them down," said Vincent, "There are only a few key people that need to be wiped out. President Shinra, Heidigger, that woman they just put in charge of the weapons department-"

"-_Scarlet._"

"-and also Hojo. There's plenty of other corrupt people working there, but they'd be totally helpless without their leaders."

"_You're forgetting the Turks._"

"Most Turks only work for the money," Vincent quickly pointed out, "I was the same. They don't want power. It's the ones who want power and already have a fair amount of it that need to be taken out."

"_You don't think Veld is a problem?_"

"Let me handle him if and when the time comes."

"_And the children are safe?_"

"Sephiroth can take care of himself. And he'll take good care of Aeris."

"_I still don't like that you just left them in the wilderness._"

"There was no other choice. Again, I trust Sephiroth."

"_…It's one thing for Shinra to oppress the people of Midgar and now Wutai, but to deliberately hunt down children and separate them from their_ parents…" the person suddenly stopped, remembering. "..._I'm sorry, Vincent…_"

"I separated myself," Vincent said, waving his hand dismissively, despite not being visible over the phone, "And now I'm paying the price."

"Don't_ start going on about atonement, please. It's too early in the morning to listen to your constant brooding. Besides, it's official. I'm not long for this world, and I don't want some depressive type taking over Avalanche when I finally kick the bucket._"

Vincent looked startled. "The doctors said it's certain?"

"_Afraid so. Best-case scenario, I've got five years left. Worst-case, one year. There's no doubt at all. I want you to take over when I go. You can shape this group into something amazing, Vincent, if you just stop being so damned hard on yourself all the time."_

Vincent glanced sullenly at the valley below. "Shall we discuss who might be able to help out with the rescue?"

"_Let's…_"

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Sephiroth asked.

Aeris briefly glanced up at her adoptive brother, then continued to stare out at the stream in front of her.

It had been two days since Vincent had left them in the valley along with a tent, two sleeping bags, two fishing rods, three lanterns, two canteens, and plenty of jerky and trail mix. Vincent had only stayed long enough to make sure Sephiroth knew how to use the gear he was leaving with them.

Aeris had loved to talk and discuss everything as much as her father did, but since they had settled at their campsite, the bubbly seven-year-old had become quiet and distant.

"Are you hungry?"

No response.

"Thirsty?"

Aeris continued to ignore him.

"You just plan to sit there and stare into space?" Sephiroth asked, obviously frustrated.

"Shh!" Aeris hissed at him suddenly, "I'm _talking to the Planet!_"

Sephiroth blinked. "I beg your pardon," he muttered.

Aeris closed her eyes. "I'm asking it about Mama and Papa. I've been asking it about them since we got away from the bad people."

Sephiroth sighed, relieved. She wasn't traumatized after all. "So you're fine, then?"

Aeris leaned forward and began hugging her knees.

"…I miss being home," she said softly.

"Me too," Sephiroth admitted, sitting down next to her. He slid an arm around her shoulder, and the little girl leaned against him, seeking comfort. "What does the Planet say?"

"It says they're still alive, but that's all it knows."

"You sit there all day just to hear that?"

"The Planet sings to me, and it tells me stories. They're kinda hard to understand, but it's nice just hearing it talk. I feel safe when I talk to the Planet…and when I talk to you."

Sephiroth smiled. "Good. I'm glad."

"I'm bored," Aeris confessed, "It's nice out here, and I can hear the Planet way better than I could at home, but there's nothing else to do until Mr. Valentine rescues Mama and Papa."

The two were silent for a moment. Then, Sephiroth stood up and cleared his throat.

"…I'm hungry," he said, "I think that stream leads to a pond. Let's try out the fishing gear Vincent left us. I'm tired of eating just trail mix and jerky. Then…hmm…I don't know how to cook. We're going to have to figure out how to do that. So I guess we'll just have to catch a lot of fish just in case I mess up at cooking."

He stopped when he saw the familiar smile return to Aeris' face, and then continued:

"We'll need a fire, so I suppose we'll have to take lots of walks to find wood. And I'm wondering what kind of animals live here. I suppose we'll find that out when we fish and look for firewood. Hmm…it really doesn't look like we're going to have much time to sit around being bored, does it?"

"Nope," Aeris agreed, "So what should we do first?"

"Well, what do you think?"

The child frowned, pursing her lips together. "If we're going to catch fish," she said thoughtfully, "then we'll already want the firewood in place so we can start cooking right away. So I guess we should go look for that first."

"Brilliant," Sephiroth smiled, "I should have thought of that. Let's go."

He held out his hand, which Aeris took and pulled herself up to her feet. Still holding hands, the two walked away from the campsite.

* * *

"So they've set up camp at the Nibelheim mansion?" Vincent asked the pudgy youth sitting in front of him at the local diner.

"According to our sources, yes," the teen answered, "Hojo was definitely seen there, with a ton of SOLDIERs and a few Turks."

"Who else was seen there?" Vincent wanted to know.

"No one else," the kid answered, shaking his head.

_They've got to be there_…Vincent thought, _the sooner I get them out of that mansion, the sooner we can get everyone under Avalanche's protection._

"We don't have many people who would be equipped to handle that many capable fighters," the kid told him.

"I already heard that when I was on the phone with the boss, Wedge," Vincent replied irritably, "I'm not sure what to do. Even if it's just me and a few other people…"

"What if we leveled the playing field just a little?" the boy suggested as he took a summoning materia out of his pocket.

"What's on your mind?"

"There's gotta be someone who could hook us up with some good mastered materia," Wedge explained as he let the shiny red orb roll through his fingers, "And money isn't any object these days…thanks to our new benefactor. Only SOLDIER and rich people can ever afford to use materia. We could give 'em our own little army of spell-casters."

He immediately stopped talking and pocketed the powerful materia as the waitress approached the table and began serving them their food.

"Hey, smile!" the middle-aged woman urged the grim-looking duo.

Wedge gave her an awkward-looking grin and a thumbs-up, causing her to cackle loudly. Vincent shut his eyes and winced at the grating sound, hoping that the woman would be gone when he opened them. He was soon relieved to see that she had.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Wedge pressed, "I know someone who has access to all the colors of the materia rainbow. And he won't be saying anything. Just say the word and I'll call him."

"Do what you need to do," Vincent said as he picked up his sandwich and examined it. Satisfied that it had been prepared to his satisfaction, he took a bite.

"Right," Wedge nodded. He stood up and left the diner. Through the window, Vincent saw him pull out a PHS and dial a number. He could see him start to speak to someone.

In the three years that Vincent spent working with the leader of Avalanche, he had met an array of colorful characters. Most of them were low-level Shinra employees(only cleared to access the first twenty floors), and a few ex-SOLDIER. Until a few months ago, they were content to simply spread awareness, in hopes that political elections would be affected and less Shinra-sponsored officials would be elected. However, it was becoming obvious that such things were not enough. Non-Shinra candidates were now mysteriously withdrawing when the polls showed favor toward them. Recently, a man named Domino had been "bought out" by Shinra, and his opponent for mayor of Midgar, had mysteriously disappeared.

The kidnapping of Professor Faremis Gast and his wife was simply the final straw. Vincent had been put in charge of their rescue, and had hand-picked a team consisting of the former members of SOLDIER, and Wedge Antilles Jr.. Despite not having the makings of a fighter yet(though the boy was being trained in grappling by his father, a fellow member), the boy had a strangely endearing charisma that made people want to talk to him and be his friend. Wedge Sr. had been one of SOLDIER's best materia-users, and his son seemed to be following in the man's footsteps.

After a couple minutes, Wedge closed the PHS and headed back inside.

Vincent picked up his drink and began sipping at it, looking at the boy expectantly.

"It's on," Wedge said with a grin, "Guess we'll be making a stop at Cosmo Canyon."

* * *

Hojo leered at his subject. "I must say, you certainly have delayed my progress long enough. Seven years I've been searching for you and your family, and all I get is you. Who would have known my son could fly?"

Despite the uncomfortable restraints on her arms and legs strapping her to the operating table, Ifalna smirked.

"_Vincent_ is the boy's real father," she taunted, "So much for your greatest creation."

Hojo's fingers tightened around the pen he carried. "No matter," he said coldly, "Vincent and I have unfinished business. No doubt the man will try to save you and your husband. I'll be waiting.

"You might be interested to learn that the army infiltrated the old Cetra metropolis," he continued, a satisfied smile on his face, "We were able to bypass that forest that protects the city by simply using a helicopter. Whatever trickery your people used doesn't work when one is in the air."

"You can't let the dead rest in peace," Ifalna sighed, exasperated, "You're not going to find anything but old books and some knick-knacks. Don't you think my husband was there long before your errand boys?"

"Well, then I'm sure you'll be happy to translate whatever they bring back," said Hojo, "You did such a marvelous job the last time you were with us."

"You mean when I wasn't trapped in that godawful mako tank?" Ifalna snapped, "Things are different now, Hojo. There's a lot more people out there who want you stopped."

"And I look forward to meeting them all," Hojo said condescendingly, "In the meantime…" He picked up a syringe from a nearby table.

"Ah yes…" Ifalna replied sarcastically, "What lovely tests are you going to subject me to today? See how much pain I can handle, like you did to Sephiroth? No…I'm nowhere near as durable as he is, and you don't want to risk losing your link to the Promised Land, even though I've told you time and time again that _it isn't accessible to the living!_"

"And I'm sure that you'll say anything to keep me convinced of that lie," Hojo scoffed as he walked over to her and held up the needle. "But 'the truth shall set you free'…for that is exactly what you will tell me…because if this serum I'm about to inject you with doesn't do the job, perhaps the fact that your husband's life depends on what you say, will."

Ifalna's eyes widened.

Hojo shrugged. "It's up to you. Professor Faremis Gast may very well suffer a massive heart attack tomorrow morning…or not. Amazing the stories we're able to get away with these days…"

"Your idea of the Promised Land is a place overflowing with mako, right?" Ifalna's voice was panicked, "Fine- I can tell you where the closest thing to your idea of the Promised Land is! Go to the Northern Crater and look there!"

Hojo smiled wickedly. "Good. But just for extra measure…" he quickly jabbed the woman's arm with the needle.

_ Forgive me, Planet_…Ifalna thought weakly as the drugs began to overtake her.

* * *

Professor Gast paced about restlessly. He and Ifalna had been separated upon arriving at the mansion. The coffins had been cleared out of Vincent's former holding cell, which he was now confined to.

_I feel so helpless…_

It had been over a week since he'd seen Ifalna. When he wasn't worrying about her, his mind was on Sephiroth and Aeris.

_Vincent can't possibly abandon them now…but…even if he did, Sephiroth has always been devoted to Aeris. He's an exceptional boy. So long as he doesn't do anything foolish, they should be safe._

His constant rationalizing of the situation didn't help, he had to admit. But there was really nothing else. No doubt he was being kept as a bargaining chip, since he had already been purged of information on the two children.

He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of the door being unlocked. The door then opened.

Gast looked away. "I'm not hungry," he said curtly, "Please just leave me alone."

When the person didn't respond, Gast looked back at the door.

"…Who are you?" he asked.

"…."

"You're obviously not a SOLDIER, so what are you doing here? How did you get that key?"

"Follow me."

"Who are you!"

"I am on your side. That is all you need to know for now. Hurry- your wife is waiting."

"Is she alright?" Gast asked worriedly.

"She's weak, but not critical," the stranger told him, "Please- we don't have much time."

"Fine," the professor nodded.

The stranger nodded back and left the room. Warily, Gast followed closely behind.

"Do you also know where my children might be?"

"We can discuss that after you and your wife are safe. Time is of the essence."

"How do you plan to get us both out of here? This place is guarded to the max!"

"Let me handle it. I know we've just met, but you will have to trust me…"

Suddenly, it hit Gast. Avalanche! The terrorists whom Vincent was working with! This person must be one of them.

_ Vincent, you are magnificent!_

* * *

"Is the coast clear?"

Vincent peaked from behind the bush where he and Wedge were hidden.

"Too clear, if you ask me," he said.

There wasn't a guard in sight. The original report was that there were five MP's stationed at the front door.

"You think they might have relocated?"

"I hope not…" Vincent muttered, "But we'll have to check regardless."

He checked his pistol to make sure it was in working order. Wedge did the same with his rifle.

"Where are the others?" Wedge asked.

"They'll be breaking in through the back door," Vincent told him. He pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Valentine here. What's the situation?"

"_This place seems deserted_," a voice replied, "_Wonder if it's a trap? They've gotta know there's people who would wanna rescue the Laniers…or Gasts or whatever the hell their names are._"

"We don't have a choice," said Vincent, "Our plans remain the same. Move out!"

"Whatever you say, chief."

Vincent pocketed the walkie-talkie and nodded at Wedge. The two stood up and silently made their way toward the mansion.

* * *

"This is…kinda creepy," Wedge remarked nervously.

The inside of the mansion was just as deserted as the outside. The lights were still on, but no sounds could be heard save for Vincent and Wedge walking quietly.

Vincent spun around and held his gun up when he heard a door open. Wedge did the same. Both relaxed when they saw it was only their comrades.

"Are you sure we got the right place?" one of the two men asked.

"I'm positive," Vincent answered, "This is the place. We'll split up. Wedge and I will cover half of the upstairs area and then the basement. The rest of you, check everywhere on this floor, and the other side of the second floor. If you don't find anything, then just cover us in case Shinra launches any surprise attacks."

"Will do."

Vincent cautiously made his way up the staircase, with Wedge following closely behind. Deciding to check the basement first, they headed over to the spiral staircase and began their descent.

After they reached the bottom, Vincent stopped and held up his hand.

"What is it?" Wedge whispered.

"I hear something," Vincent took his gun in both hands, and approached the library at the end of the hallway.

As he got closer, he could hear it- no mistake- Hojo's insane laughter. The same laughter he'd heard before he'd been shot by the man fifteen years ago.

_And so we meet again_…the gunman thought grimly.

Vincent stepped in the room, motioning for Wedge to stay back. The worried teenager hung back, his rifle still ready for action should anything happen.

Professor Hojo sat in a corner, still laughing like a madman. He didn't even seem to acknowledge Vincent's presence until the man stood right over him.

The raven-haired scientist looked up. "So it goes…" he giggled, "The noble gunman sends his people to rescue my specimen…I must admit though…you really went all out, didn't you? Who knew that there were others like her? You've got some amazing connections, Turk."

"Where are the Gasts?" Vincent pointed his gun at Hojo's head.

"What do you mean 'where are they'?!" Hojo exclaimed, "After that brilliant show…how did you get all of my guards to just leave like that?!"

Vincent stared at the madman, still pointing his gun at him. Hojo looked up at Vincent, and a slow realization came to him:

"You had nothing to do with it…" Hojo whispered, "My god…what is going on?"

"That's what I want to know," Vincent barked, "Where are Professor and Mrs. Gast?"

"I haven't the faintest," Hojo smirked contemptuously, "And they likely have no idea where you and those two children are either. My, my…seeing how long it took for you to find them the first time…it could be decades before that poor little girl ever sees her parents again. You've practically made her an orphan!"

"Who did this…?!" Vincent hissed impatiently.

"To think that I'd find out the truth about Jenova…" Hojo chuckled as he got to his feet, "And in such a way…but that just makes things more interesting for me…they won't find Jenova here anymore once I tell the president everything that's happened…"

The way Hojo carried himself. His constant giggling…it was as if the man was having a nervous breakdown from whatever it was he had seen.

Suddenly, Hojo grabbed a scalpel off a nearby table and thrust it at Vincent. The former Turk was able to side-step the attack easily.

"Gotten faster since our last encounter, eh?" Hojo snarled, "No matter- I should have simply killed you! Back then I wanted you to suffer, but I should have simply put you out of the way! He should have been my son! You corrupted him, just like you corrupted Lucrecia! That bitch played me for a fool!"

Vincent cocked his gun.

"Sephiroth would have been in SOLDIER, and I would have killed Gast, and the two Cetra would be mine as well!"

He lunged again, trying to grab Vincent's weapon and shove it aside. The gun went off.

Hojo fell to his knees, eyes half-closed, then toppled over onto his side. Blood began pouring from the wound to his temple.

"You will never catch me off-guard like that again," Vincent told the fallen scientist, "Ever."

He stood there for a moment longer, and then went back to where Wedge was waiting.

* * *

"I feel something…" Sephiroth announced as he gripped his fishing rod.

Aeris rushed over excitedly. "You get a fish?"

"I think so," Sephiroth grunted as he began reeling the fish in.

"Think it's a big one this time?" Aeris' eyes were as big as saucers.

"Oh, I think it's safe to assume that," Sephiroth quipped, noting how far the pole was bent.

"Don't let the string break!" Aeris told him.

"I'll try," Sephiroth stood up and began tugging the rod back.

"I think it's coming out!" Aeris squealed.

Indeed, a decent-sized fish emerged from the water. Sephiroth continued to reel it in until it was thrashing about only two feet from him.

"You'd better turn around," Sephiroth reminded her.

Aeris' expression sobered as she turned and walked about ten feet away, covering her ears.

Sephiroth took the struggling fish and proceeded to whack it against the rock he'd been sitting on. After a couple times, the fish went limp.

"Is it over?" Aeris called out, taking her hands off her ears.

"Yes," Sephiroth answered, "Let's go get a fire started."

The past few days they'd spent in the valley had been relaxing. Aeris eventually seemed more at home there than she had in Corel. He'd discovered that she had a way with animals. Birds were not afraid to approach her, and she had befriended a couple of rabbits whose hole was not far from their tents.

The first time she had watched Sephiroth kill a fish he'd caught, she nearly cried. Since then, he'd always warned her when he was about to do the deed. Thankfully, she'd understood that it was important for them to eat healthy.

"The fish's spirit will return to the Planet, where it will be spun out again to live once more," Aeris had told him afterward, "…But I still hate seeing the fish have to die."

They arrived at the campsite, where the firewood was already in place thanks to Aeris. But to their surprise, the fire was already lit, and a second tent had been assembled. Vincent stood about twenty feet away, feeding a large black chocobo that was tethered to a tree.

"Mr. Valentine!" Aeris exclaimed, "You're back! Where's Mama and Papa?"

Vincent sighed. "I don't know," he said.

Sephiroth scowled. "You don't know? What happened to the big rescue you had planned?"

Vincent ignored his son's sarcasm. "You're not going to believe this, but someone actually got to your parents first. Broke in and got rid of all the guards. Then they all disappeared into the night."

"…But…" Aeris looked upset, "How are they going to find us? How will we find them?"

Sephiroth laid a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find a way to locate them," Vincent told her, "I've already got Avalanche working on trying to find them. After all, they helped me find them before."

_Which led Hojo to them as well_…Sephiroth thought bitterly. Speaking of which… "What about Hojo?"

A faint hint of a smile appeared on Vincent's face. "Hojo is dead."

Sephiroth almost smiled himself. "So what now?" he asked.

"I'm taking you to Cosmo Canyon," said Vincent, "There's a couple who can provide you with a roof over your head and better food. Aeris can also start school again. We'll leave tomorrow morning. Someone will be picking us up by car to make the journey faster."

Aeris sat down dejectedly.

"You two have been well, I take it?" Vincent looked at each of them.

"Aeris learned to swim," Sephiroth nudged the girl with his knee, "Right, Aeris? You're a natural."

"Mmm-hmm," Aeris said absently.

Vincent knelt down before the girl. "Aeris…" he said, "Aeris, look at me…I promise you…we will find your parents. It won't be easy, I have to admit. We have no idea where they are, but I think they're safe. It might take a long time, though. But in the meantime, I intend to keep you both safe, no matter what."

"But you'll be behind the scenes, as usual," Sephiroth pointed out as he rolled his eyes, "So what else is new?"

"Sephiroth, the greatest thing I can do for you and Aeris is to help put Shinra out of commission," Vincent said as he stood up to face his son. "I'd have loved nothing more than to have been able to raise you. At the time I brought you to Professor Gast, I was confused. I should have kept in touch, yes...more than just that one letter. And by the time I came to my senses, you were already gone. I searched for years trying to find you, and now I have. I intend to make up for that in any way I can."

"So he's finally stepping up," Sephiroth sneered, "What next? Will you put me over your knee if I come home past curfew?"

Vincent's eyes narrowed. "I know you're angry with me for abandoning you, and I deserve it. But this _attitude_ of yours is beginning to wear just a little too thin even for me. I will give you one of two choices: you can come with me and leave your snide comments behind, or god help me, I'll _act _like a father whose son needs to be severely disciplined! Do I make myself clear?"

Aeris dashed into one of the tents and zipped it up behind her.

Sephiroth stared in shock. Somewhere, during Vincent's brief tirade, the man had grabbed Sephiroth by his shirt collar and was now glaring intensely at him. In his fifteen years, only Hojo had ever managed to scare him. But Sephiroth did indeed feel fear right now, especially considering what Vincent was capable of turning into.

"Y-yes…" Sephiroth managed to say.

"Good…" Vincent released his hold on his son and resumed his usual stoic demeanor, "Now that that's settled, we can have some dinner, and then start packing. Aeris, stop being silly and come on out of there. I'm not going to bite you."

He smiled inwardly as the little girl slowly came out of the tent and watched Sephiroth scale the fish. He then looked up at the sky and let out a sigh.

_ Did I do all right, Lucrecia…?_


	6. Chapter 6: Cosmo Canyon

Chapter 6: Cosmo Canyon, February 7th, 1995  


"Happy birthday, Aeris!" Furie Mason exclaimed as she set down a cake on the kitchen table in their house.

"Make a wish," her husband Gai added.

Ten-year-old Aeris closed her eyes and blew out the candles. As soon as she opened them, she glanced meaningfully up at Sephiroth, who stood by her side. The eighteen-year-old nodded solemnly. He knew what her wish was.

During Aeris' eighth birthday, she had fallen into a brief depression, and had actually run off to hide in one of the empty caves. Sephiroth had been the one to find her, and ask her what was wrong. Apparently, the only thing she could think about was the fact that her parents weren't there with her. Nothing Sephiroth said seemed to be able to lift her spirits.

While Sephiroth kept trying to console the little girl, their new friend Nanaki, a guardian beast; had gathered all of the local children, leading them to the Cosmo Candle. The Masons, upon seeing such a large crowd of kids, simply shrugged at each other, and went to go buy more cake to accommodate the massive crowd.

When Sephiroth and Aeris emerged, well over a hundred children had yelled "SURPRISE!", stunning both of them. Aeris had looked as though she might cry, but she managed to pull herself together before running into the throng, where a giant pinata had been set up, waiting for her to make the first strike. She had cheered up for the rest of the evening.

This year was much more low-key, however. Only the Masons, Sephiroth, Nanaki, a female guardian beast named Deneh(and the only other one alive besides Nanaki), and Vincent stood around the girl.

"That cake smells amazing," Nanaki remarked, sniffing at the air.

Aeris smiled and reached over, patting him on the nose.

"Must you do that?" he grumbled, slightly embarrassed.

"But the top of your nose is so soft!" Aeris protested.

"Here," Vincent handed the girl a present, wrapped in simply red paper.

Sephiroth peered curiously at the long pole-shaped object before Aeris excitedly tore the wrapping paper off.

"A prism jo staff!" Aerith said excitedly, "Wow, I'll bet this _never_ breaks! Thank you, Vincent!"

The gunman nodded politely to her. Sephiroth noticed that he had actually removed his cape, allowing his face to be seen more easily. He took a closer look. His jawline...that was about it. Well, that and they were about the same height now.

He wasn't sure why he caught himself looking at his father's face, comparing his facial features to his own. It wasn't as if he enjoyed having a father who contributed the absolute bare minimum to his life. Why would he want to look like him? After having lived for eight years with a man who knew how to be a father, Vincent could only be called a disappointment.

Professor Gast had comforted him over the nightmares he had over the Shinra, and Hojo. He had tutored him when the school system in Corel hadn't known what to do with the boy. He had patiently explained to him how the world worked, and did so in that frank, but friendly way he had come to love.

God, how he missed his adoptive parents. While he no longer cried for them like Aeris still did on occasion, his heart still ached for them frequently.

The Masons were good people, who kept the children clothed, fed and safe. Gai had studied Iaido for over twenty-five years, and he had become an excellent teacher for Sephiroth. Vincent had stated that Gai's skills were the reason he had settled on asking them to take care of the children. Even Furie was a warrior in her own right, being a master of the quarterstaff. It had taken a lot of convincing, but after Aeris' eighth birthday, the non-violent child of the Planet was learning to defend herself under the woman's guidance. And judging from her sincerely happy reaction toward Vincent's gift to her, she was thoroughly enjoying the lessons. _Perhaps she would grow up to be tough after all_, Sephiroth thought.

They were not replacements for the Gasts. That had never been anyone's intention, though they did their best to help the children through their grief and fears concerning the professor and Ifalna.

"Sephy, look!" Aeris' excited voice broke Sephiroth out of his reflections, "See what Auntie Furie gave me?"

She held up two rolls of leather hand-wraps. "Even when I get bigger, they'll still fit my hands!"

"You'll be a true warrior before you know it," Sephiroth said encouragingly, "One day, you and I will both join Avalanche, and fight side-by-side until the Shinra is nothing but a pile of rubble."

"And the president is in jail for life!" Aeris added pointedly. She knew that Sephiroth would rather see the man dead, but she would have none of that.

Before Sephiroth could say anything, Vincent's phone rang.

The silver-haired young man glared at his father. "You couldn't have turned that thing off for a few minutes?"

"There's a critical situation at hand," Vincent said evenly as he pulled his phone out and answered. "Valentine here..."

He stepped into the living room to take the call.

Sephiroth shook his head in disgust, before turning back to Aeris.

"One more present from me and Deneh," Nanaki said. He pointed with his tail at a gift-wrapped rectangular item on the corner of the table.

"Looks like a book to me!" Aeris said as she grabbed it and ripped it free from the paper. "War of the Magi?"

"One of the main characters reminded me of you," Deneh explained, "And the main characters are also part of a resistance group, fighting against an empire. Sephiroth told us you like a good adventure, and that you read well above your grade level."

"How many pages is this?" Aeris asked, noting the thickness of the hardcover book.

"I'd say about six-hundred," Nanaki answered, "It's illustrated too. Beautiful artwork."

Before Aeris could even open her mouth to thank the two sentient beasts, Vincent rushed into the kitchen and grabbed his cloak from the back of one of the chairs.

"I'm sorry, but I have to leave," he said quickly.

"What happened?" Sephiroth asked.

"Avalanche's leader just passed away," said Vincent, "He'd been battling a terminal illness for three years, and he finally lost the fight."

"But who's gonna lead the fight against the Shinra?" Aeris asked worriedly.

"I am," Vincent answered simply.

"That means..." Aeris realized somewhat sadly, "We'll probably see even less of you."

Vincent nodded. "I'm sorry."

Gai stood up. "I have to come to the funeral with you. You'll need a bodyguard now, and I'll be damned if I don't pay my last respects to our leader."

"Gai...?" Furie spoke, her tone one of worry.

"It's just for a few days," he said as he kissed her reassuringly. He turned to Aeris. "I'm sorry."

"I understand," Aeris told him, "It's okay. I'm sorry it happened."

"You're a doll," Gai said as he smiled and patted Aeris on the back. He disappeared into the bedroom to start packing.

* * *

"There you are," Sephiroth said as he saw Aeris sitting in front of the Cosmo Candle, watching the flames dancing in front of the sunset. She was reading her new book, and her new staff lay next to her.

Gai had already left with Vincent, and the two guardian beasts had gone home. Sephiroth had left to buy groceries, but both Aeris and Furie were gone when he got back.

He knew that Furie likely wanted to be by herself. Since they were Aeris and Sephiroth's guardians, only one or the other would ever go on Avalanche missions. When one left, the other worried, no matter who it was that went on the mission. Gai was a little more involved in looking after Aeris if Furie was the one to leave home, but Furie tended to be more listless and distracted. This often meant that Sephiroth had to be the parent, much to his annoyance. Furie was a good fighter, and an excellent teacher for Aeris, but he hated that her depressive behavior made the little girl worry. He sometimes wondered who was the "parent".

He had nearly slipped on a piece of paper, which had probably blown off the kitchen table and fallen to the floor when Aeris had slammed the door behind her. In youthful handwriting, it had simply read:

_Went for a walk. -Aeris_

"This book is really good," Aeris remarked as she turned a page. "I'm already on the third chapter. I really like Terra. I don't know if she's the character Deneh said reminded her of me. She has amnesia, so nothing's really been revealed about her."

"Well, it'll keep you entertained well beyond when Gai comes back," said Sephiroth, "Not like Furie will be giving you any lessons while he's in Midgar."

"Sephy, why is it that the people you get mad at are the ones that are hurting inside the most?" Aeris asked, rolling her eyes.

"I beg your pardon?" Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "She acts like a drama queen when he's gone. They've been married for seven years, and part of Avalanche the entire time. Shouldn't she be over it?"

"Some people are sensitive," Aeris argued, "Not everyone's as rough and tough as you are. Are you saying you're not worried about Gai and Vincent?"

"I know there's a risk for any member of Avalanche," Sephiroth acknowledged, "But no one forced them to join the resistance against the Shinra. They know what they're doing."

"_I'm_ worried," said Aeris, "The Planet sings songs...different songs. Just now...it sang he same song it did the morning before Mama and Papa disappeared."

Sephiroth felt slightly alarmed now. He believed in what Aeris felt, just as he had believed in what Ifalna would feel.

Aeris looked at him and smiled. "Maybe it's because I'm ten now. Double-digits...that's a big change, don't you think?"

Sephiroth chuckled. "Sure. That could be it. Mom told me a long time ago that it's around this time that the voice of the Planet gets stronger for the Cetra."

"Hey, that's right!" Aeris realized, "She told me the same thing. She said it's just like when boys and girls change into men and women, but for the Cetra, it's the first thing they experience." She sighed. "I wish my aunts and uncles hadn't died in that shipwreck so long ago. Then I could've had cousins."

"Mom survived," Sephiroth pointed out, "Then you came along. That's what's important."

Aeris marked her page and closed her book. Then she grabbed her staff and stood up. "I'm hungry," she said, "Can we start cooking dinner?"

Sephiroth smiled. "Sure."

* * *

Three days passed without incident. Gai had called the previous night to inform them that the funeral would be the next day. As soon as it was over, there would be a remembrance gathering, and then he would leave Midgar that night once it ended. He would be back in Cosmo Canyon in two days.

Sephiroth had found a job a few months after he and Aeris had come to live with the Masons. For the past two-and-a-half years, he had been a member of the guards that kept watch over Cosmo Canyon's gate. He often had the daytime shift which lasted from early morning to mid-afternoon. He would get off work about an hour after Aeris was done with school for the day. When he got home, she was typically in the kitchen working on her homework.

On this particular day, he was walking up the long set of stone steps that led to the walkway where the Mason's apartment was. Upon reaching the top of the stairs, the sound of two people crying reached his sensitive ears.

Aeris and Furie.

He broke into a run, nearly skidding past the front door before grabbing the knob and flinging the door open. Aeris sat at the kitchen table slumped over, her hands over her face as she cried. Sephiroth could hear Furie's loud wailing from down the hallway, slightly muffled from behind the closed bedroom door.

"What's the matter?!" Sephiroth demanded tensely, "What happened?"

"Uncle Gai!" Aeris sobbed, "They killed Uncle Gai! Vincent called us, but only a few minutes before it happened, I felt it! I felt his spirit returning to the Lifestream!"

Sephiroth's blood ran cold as he immediately put his arms around the girl, in almost a vain attempt to shield her from any additional pain. "What happened...?" he whispered hoarsely.

"MURDERERS!" Furie screamed as she appeared in the kitchen, "SHINRA BASTARDS!"

"He was on speaker-phone," Aeris explained through her tears, "Vincent said...SOLDIER raided the funeral, and Uncle Gai held them off so Vincent and the others could escape! There was a film crew with the army, and they broadcast it all live...Vincent said they showed Uncle Gai being shot down!"

Furie let out an agonized scream. Aeris, terrified, clung tightly to Sephiroth.

Sephiroth's mind was in a daze as he heard a pounding at the door. The neighbors. They had heard the screaming and crying, and were now checking up to see what was going on. Figuring they might be able to help Furie more than he could, Sephiroth went to the door and opened it. He explained to the best of his knowledge what had happened. While everyone crowded around the grief-stricken woman, Sephiroth led Aeris to the large easy-chair that sat in the corner of the living room. There he sat, Aerith weeping in his lap, waiting for...he wasn't even sure, but he waited nonetheless.

* * *

"I've had to do a lot of thinking on the matter of where to send you two," Vincent said the next afternoon as he sat in the living room with Sephiroth and Aeris. There were two large suitcases sitting next to the couch.

"The two of you can no longer stay in Cosmo Canyon, lest Shinra trace Gai back here. Furie will be temporarily moved somewhere else as well, for her safety, and in hopes that she might be able to heal if she were away from here for a while.

"Junon is under Shinra control almost as much as Midgar is. Kalm is too close for comfort. Gongaga has a reactor, as does Nibelheim, so there are Shinra soldiers there on a regular basis. Rocket Town is too close to Nibelheim, and Bone Village has a terrible educational system there." Vincent glanced at Aeris upon mentioning that last part.

"Icicle Inn is too close to Modeoheim, so that leaves Mideel, Condor Village, and Costa Del Sol. Costa Del Sol is within my travel route, so I can check up on you regularly. Also, another contact lives there who could check in on you two. As far as a guardian goes...Sephiroth, you're eighteen, and you're capable of looking after Aeris. I'll provide you with an allowance for rent, groceries, and the like."

Sephiroth nodded silently. He had long since stopped talking back to Vincent, but much as he had resented Furie's emotional issues, he still bore a grudge against Vincent for purposely remaining in his coffin for seven years while he had suffered at the hands of Hojo and the Shinra. He barely conversed with the man unless absolutely necessary.

"Pack your things while you can," Vincent told them, "We'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

"I can't say good-bye to my friends from school?" Aeris looked upset.

"It would be better that you didn't," Vincent explained, "If the Shinra traces Gai to being from here, well, they may try sweet-talking the school children first. If they know where you are, it will be bad."

Aerith looked as if she wanted to argue, but then thought better of it. There was no convincing Vincent of anything if he thought it wasn't safe.

"I'll be sleeping here on the couch tonight," Vincent informed them, "I'm not letting you two out of my sight until you're in Costa Del Sol."

"Thank you," Aeris said quietly.

Vincent nodded.

Sephiroth, saying nothing, stood up and grabbed one of the suitcases. He then rolled it down to his room.

As he began pulling clothes out of his drawer to shove into his suitcase, Aeris walked in.

"We'll be okay," he promised her, "No Shinra people are going to make it in the town without getting past the guards-,"

"Why are you suck a jerk whenever Vincent is around?!" Aeris exploded.

"I'm not going to get into that again," Sephiroth answered coldly as he continued to pack his things.

"You're just as emotional as anyone else, you know!" Aeris pointed out, "You always get mad at people! You think being worried or sad is a weakness, but so is getting angry all the time!"

Sephiroth looked taken aback. He soon recovered. "Being angry drives you to make changes."

"Changes to what?!" Aeris yelled, "How people act around _you?_ So being mad at Vincent will make him go back in time and save you when you were a baby?! Being angry at auntie Furie will make her less worried?! Guess what? She was worried, and her worries _came true!_"

"That doesn't mean-!" Sephiroth started to argue.

"At least you _have_ a father!" Aeris snapped, "I don't even know if my father's alive or not! No, I haven't felt his or Mama's spirits slipping away, but _why_ would they stay away for so long?! And now that Vincent's Avalanche's new leader, he's gonna be in even more danger! What's gonna happen if he gets killed on a mission, and all you ever remember is how mean you were to him?! You said you would have lost your mind if you had stayed with the Shinra! You said it hundreds of times! And that's how you thank him for getting you out of there? If Vincent hadn't done what he did, I wouldn't have my big brother to keep me safe, even if he's acting completely pig-headed!"

At that, the ten-year-old stormed off.

God, but she had acted exactly like Ifalna just then, Sephiroth realized.

* * *

Sephiroth quietly made his way into the kitchen. There was still a few pieces worth of Aeris' birthday cake left, and he couldn't sleep anyway.

He opened the refrigerator door and took out the cake. As soon as he lifted the large plastic cover off and reached for a knife to cut it with, he heard the loud sound of a throat being cleared. Startled, he spun around, holding the large knife in his hand.

Vincent stood in the kitchen. He still wore his leggings, but his normal long-sleeved black sweater had been replaced with a sleeveless red shirt, and his feet were bare. His long black hair was completely loose, and tousled from having been asleep only a minute ago.

"So it comes to this, does it?" the gunman remarked dryly, "My son finally acts on his hatred toward me by knifing me before sitting down to eat cake."

"Since when did you make jokes?" Sephiroth asked as he turned back around and began cutting himself a piece of the Black Forest cake.

"Life gets a little easier when you eventually learn to forgive yourself," Vincent answered.

"That's nice," Sephiroth droned, "Next thing I know, you'll be asking for a piece of this." He pointed at the cake.

"I'll admit, I _am_ rather partial to chocolate."

Sephiroth scowled. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"I'm not allowed to enjoy dessert?"

"I guess it'll only go to waste if I say no," Sephiroth decided. He opened the cupboard and grabbed two plates instead of one.

"I planned to talk to you alone during the trip," said Vincent, "But I suppose now is as good a time as any."

"What is it?" Sephiroth asked as he handed Vincent a plate of cake and a fork.

"Before our leader's funeral, one of my people, an inside man, printed out a copy of some files from the Shinra science department. One set is from the Shinra mansion over in Nibelheim. The other is from the 68th floor of the Shinra Headquarters, where the actual science department is now located."

"I remember it," Sephiroth said as he picked up his fork and plate and began to eat. "The building hasn't changed, then, I take it?"

"I haven't been inside of there since I took you away from there," said Vincent. He took a bite of his cake, chewing thoroughly and swallowing before he continued to speak: "Once was enough. I'm sure security there went through a massive overhaul after what I did."

"You're probably right," Sephiroth agreed, "What are the files about?"

"You. Sort of. They're rather dated. Part of them are notes from when you were very small. Back when it was believed that Jenova was an ancient. The other half, which talks about your mother, is also included. By themselves, the Nibelheim notes would have anyone reading them believe that Jenova was your mother. The Midgar notes complete everything. They even mention the day you were born."

"Which is...?"

"March 10th," Vincent replied, "You're still technically seventeen." He took another bite of cake.

"Now Aeris will insist on making a fuss," Sephiroth grumbled.

"I doubt you really mind," said Vincent.

Sephiroth said nothing while they both continued to eat.

"Is there anything to drink in there?" Vincent asked, pointing to the refrigerator with his fork.

"Maybe," Sephiroth said with a shrug, "Help yourself to whatever is in there."

Vincent opened the door and pulled out a carton of milk.

"Cake and milk..." Sephiroth muttered as he put his empty plate and fork in the sink, "Who would have thought?"

"Juice and water never taste good after eating anything sweet," Vincent pointed out.

"Here." Sephiroth opened the cabinet and pulled out a glass, which he handed to his father.

"Thank you," Vincent said as he began to pour himself a glass. He then turned around and headed toward the living room, beckoning for Sephiroth to follow.

When they reached the sofa, Vincent grabbed his duffel bag and pulled out a three-ring binder full of papers, which he handed to Sephiroth.

"I would tell you to read them later and get some sleep," Vincent said, "But I suppose I couldn't blame you for being too curious to wait."

"Thank you," Sephiroth said.

Vincent nodded with an unintelligible grunt. He watched Sephiroth retreat to his room before stretching out on the couch and closing his eyes.

* * *

Bugenhagen, Nanaki and Deneh were the only ones told about Aeris and Sephiroth leaving Cosmo Canyon. The two guardian beasts had come to see the children that morning to check up on them after having heard about Gai's death. When Aeris came to the door dragging her suitcase behind her, Nanaki and Deneh realized what was going on. They had begged Vincent to allow Aeris and Sephiroth to say goodbye to Bugenhagen. Vincent had agreed, and brought them to the observatory after loading their things into a van outside the gate, where one of Vincent's people would drive them all the way to Costa Del Sol.

"Do come back when you can, child," Bugenhagen told her somberly, "When you get older, there is a lot you need to learn."

"Why can't I learn it now?" Aeris asked.

"Now…" Bugenhagen mused, "…is a time for you to be a child. Go to school, learn how to learn. When you are older, and more focused, you'll be ready to understand."

Aeris crossed her arms impatiently. "You sound like The Planet itself sometimes," she remarked.

"Ho-ho-hooo! That, I take as a compliment."

Vincent cleared his throat meaningfully. It was time to leave.

"Goodbye, Bugenhagen…" Aeris said sadly as she hugged the old man.

"Now, now…" the old man chided gently, "…let's not say 'goodbye' so much as 'until next time'! As I've said, I expect to see you again someday."

"As do I," Nanaki agreed, "One-of-a-kind people like us must stick together."

"I couldn't agree more," said Sephiroth as he extended his hand toward the beast, who promptly gave him his paw.

"I'll miss you, Nanaki," Aeris said as she threw her arms around her friend.

"I'll miss you as well, little Aeris," Nanaki growled softly.

"Look after Auntie Furie when she comes back from hiding," said Aeris.

"We will," Bugenhagen assured her.

"Let's go," said Vincent.

* * *

Vincent sat outside of his tent, guarding the campsite. Rather than sleep in tents; Aeris, Sephiroth and the driver each slept on a row of seats inside the van. The seats were soft enough, and without tents, they could simply drive away once everyone woke up.

His enhancements made it extremely easy to see in the dark, which meant he didn't have to keep a fire lit. With no fire, monsters would be less likely to come across the campsite, keeping everyone safe. Despite the usefulness of night vision, this was one of his gifts that he hated the most. Many children were often afraid of the dark, but as a little boy, he had loved it. It was almost like a blank canvas that allowed his imagination to pain any picture he wanted. Rather than monsters, he saw exotic lands and animal life. The urge to see places like that had been the reason he had gone to work for the Shinra, who even then, promoted an exciting life for its employees.

He looked up, and then realized that the sun was starting to rise. Not long after that, he heard the side door to the van open. Sephiroth stepped out, smoothing back his hair, which was now slightly toussled after several hours of sleep.

"You're up early," Vincent remarked, "I didn't plan on leaving for another hour-and-a-half."

"I've always been an early riser," Sephiroth told his father, "I think they made me that way."

Vincent nodded, understanding.

"I read the files."

Vincent turned his head to look at Sephiroth, whose jade eyes were staring intently at him. The teenager's face was expressionless, his voice even.

"You read fast," was all Vincent could say. There had been almost 150 pages worth of information on the Jenova Project.

"You never knew?" Sephiroth pressed, "You had to have had _some_ idea that I could be yours."

"Anyone would have assumed that Hojo would do a DNA test to make sure," said Vincent, "He seemed so sure. I also thought…that if your mother had any doubt, she would have told me. I saw her through rose-colored glasses. She could do no wrong, as far as I knew. She was a human being with flaws just like everyone else. In the end, she was terrified. She couldn't tell me about the accident that killed my father."

Sephiroth nodded. Gast had told the boy about what had happened to his grandfather years ago.

"Perhaps that was why she couldn't return my feelings in the end," Vincent said, partly to himself.

"It's funny…" Sephiroth remarked as he sat down next to the gunman, "For so long, I idealized my mother as some helpless victim. But to get involved with a man like Hojo, and willingly sign my life over like that…"

"Don't be too hard on her," said Vincent, "She was in over her head. She likely rationalized that at least Shinra would provide for you. I'm sure it also never occurred to her until it was too late, that she wouldn't be there to stop you from being treated the way you were."

Sephiroth nodded.

"We've a long journey today," Vincent stated, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Vincent…" the boy spoke.

"Yes?"

"…Thank you for freeing me…all those years ago," Sephiroth said quietly. He then sighed. "It wasn't until I read Hojo's notes, that I realized how much worse things could be. I think I would have lost my mind if I'd found out that Hojo _had _been my father. I think my mother would be relieved too, if she knew it was you instead. It must have been terrible for her all those months."

_It was…_Vincent thought. _That's why I went to confront Hojo. Little did I know that it would lead me to redemption…in the most roundabout way ever…_

"Maybe you could tell me about her..." Sephiroth suggested, "...or my grandfather. He seemed like an interesting person."

"He was," said Vincent. He had nothing but fond memories of Grimoire Valentine.

Yes. Perhaps there was redemption on the horizon, despite all the tragedy that had come before it.

* * *

A/N: Yep, no Muramasa for Aeris in the reboot. The sword will not her primary weapon.


	7. Chapter 7: June, 2002

Chapter 6: June, 2002

The train came to a complete stop after half an hour of zooming through one of the many underground tunnels that ran through Midgar. Seconds later, the doors opened and the people that had been riding stepped off.

Seventeen-year-old Aeris Gast managed to weave around and through the crowd until she finally emerged from the sea of people. Her hand reached up, brushing against the purple ribbon she wore and making sure it hadn't come undone while she had slept on the train.

She also touched the top of the mythril staff that was attached to the magnetic sheath behind her. The weapon was secure in the sheath's semi-circular hold while two shoulder straps held the advanced accessory in place on her back. To release the powerful hold the magnet had on her weapon, all she had to do was press the button next to where her staff was held. The magnet would instantly be canceled and stay that way as long as the button was held down.

She hadn't meant to doze off. It was the first time she had been on a subway, and found it to be fascinating. But when she had sat down after a day of traveling on the back of her chocobo to get to Midgar, she suddenly felt the exhaustion she had been keeping at bay for hours. She had left her chocobo at one of the many stables surrounding the subterranean metropolis' exits, and had waited until the fake ID Vincent had given her had been accepted by the border patrol. She had been allowed through the gate, which led straight to a subway station.

Aeris took a look around the platform, marveling at her new surroundings. It was the first time she had ever been in Midgar, and one of the few times in her seventeen years that she was able to travel alone.

Suddenly, she became aware of an overweight middle-aged man staring...no, _leering_ at her with a barely-concealed grin as he sat on a nearby bench. She could feel the heat creeping up on her face, and now wished she had listened to Sephiroth when he had told her to at least buy leggings that went down to her knees before coming to the city. The cut-off jeans she wore kept her comfortable outside in the early summer weather, but she had been foolish to come off the train wearing them. Angry at the lecherous man for making her feel self-conscious, she cast a withering glare at him before turning around and following the sign leading to the public rest room.

Feeling safe inside the only unoccupied stall that had a working lock, Aeris pulled a pair of brown leggings out of her duffel bag changed into them. The city's air-conditioning was already making her legs feel cold, and she didn't mind the thick fabric that would now keep her warm. She pulled out a lavender hoodie, slipping it on over the sleeveless purple halter top she had also been foolish enough to wear.

_I've got a lot to learn..._she thought grimly.

When she exited the rest room, she reached into her bag and fished out a sheet of paper with an address, and directions. The place she would be crashing at for the time being was located in Sector Five, where she now stood.

_...Past a run-down church and near a waterfall,_ the last of the directions read.

She looked around once more, and then began to make her way out of the station.

"Excuse me."

Aeris felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see a girl about her age standing behind her. She had brown hair tied back into a ponytail. A red bandanna barely kept her long bangs out of her face. She was dressed in a blue shirt, a pair of green shorts that went below her knees, and worn brown shoes.

"They say grass and flowers don't grow in Midgar," the girl commented, a little _too_ casually.

Aeris recognized the secret Avalanche code that Sephiroth had taught her before he'd gone ahead to Midgar. _We'll see about that…_she couldn't help but think. "That's what hydroponics are for, aren't they?" she replied meaningfully.

The girl smiled. "My name's Jessie. Your brother didn't like the idea of you walking through Midgar alone, so he sent me."

_Typical…_Aeris thought. "Nice to meet you, Jessie." Aeris held out her hand, which Jessie accepted.

"Likewise," said Jessie, "Let's get going. Should only take us about fifteen minutes to get to our place."

"All right." Aeris followed Jessie out of the station.

"How was the train ride?" Jessie asked.

Aeris giggled. "Would you believe I slept the entire time? I've never ridden on a subway train before, but I conked out almost immediately after I sat down."

"So you've never been to Midgar?"

"No. I spent the first twelve years of my life on the western continent. Midgar's a first for me."

"Well, let me give you a bit of advice," Jessie said as they turned and began walking on a nearly deserted road. "Drink an 'Alarm Clock' if you're tired. Pickpockets _love_ sleeping tourists when they're on the train. Easy pickings."

Aeris grimaced, not having thought of that. "That does make sense. I'll remember that."

They eventually came near the church mentioned in the directions, when Aeris heard a noise from inside.

"Wait," Aeris held the other girl back.

Jessie frowned. "What's wrong?"

Aeris waited for a moment, until a wino staggered out of the church, stopping to stare at the girls. Aeris immediately reached behind her and released her staff, assuming a fighting stance. The drunken man stumbled away in a hurry.

"Oh, that." Jessie waved her hand dismissively, "Winos hang out at that old church all the time. It's the only really decent place they have to sleep. They're pretty much harmless."

Aeris placed her staff back in its holder, and looked sheepishly at her companion. "Guess I just came across as a paranoid nutcase, huh?"

"From what I've heard about you and Sephiroth, you have every right to be on edge," Jessie remarked, giving her a sympathetic smile.

"Just what have people been blabbing about me?" Aeris put her hands on her hips and pretended to look angry.

"Nothing bad, I assure you," Jessie laughed, "But Avalanche _is_ like a big family, so get used to having some of your secrets revealed."

Aeris shifted uncomfortably. Jessie didn't seem to notice. Could she trust Avalanche with the secret of her heritage? Did they already know? After all, they had to know some of the reason that the Shinra had come after them all those years ago.

"And…what else do you know?" Aeris stopped and looked at the other girl.

"That Sephiroth was originally supposed to be some kind of super-SOLDIER, and that Vincent is his father, even though they look the same age. That your mother knew secrets about some place filled with ass-loads of mako."

Aeris looked relieved. That was only part of the truth, and the only part she felt comfortable with them knowing. "Yes, they want to strip the Planet of mako…but it's not that simple. The trees you cut down can always be replanted. Animals can be raised for food. But there's no effective way to replenish the world's supply of mako…especially if Shinra's so bent on having the world powered by it."

"They replenish it all right…" Jessie grumbled, "By killing innocent people."

"So you _do_ know the real origins of mako, then?" Aeris realized, "I thought you were simply against their tyranny."

"That it's the physical manifestation of what the Ancients referred to as 'the lifestream'? Well, it wasn't until recently that we started to realize the consequences of abusing mako," Jessie explained, "A man from Cosmo Canyon named Bugenhagen had this machine that could give the Planet a voice- just like the Ancients could hear the planet, now humans can too, Wait…wasn't it…?"

Aeris nodded. "It was my father who built that machine. He came to Cosmo Canyon a lot. I lived there myself for a few years. Bugenhagen is an amazing man. Have you met his grandson?"

"Oh, I never met Bugenhagen personally," Jessie shook her head, "I know Avalanche originated from Cosmo Canyon a long time ago, but I've never even been there. But our sources over there told us everything about that machine."

Aeris nodded. "The Planet seems to be in discomfort due to the unbalance of mako."

"Which is why we're here to stop the abuse," Jessie smiled proudly, "We've only been able to do little things here and there…but now our membership is at a record high. And we've got more people who can fight. We're going to be taking things to the next level very soon."

Aeris nodded again as they made their way to their destination.

* * *

"We're back!" Jessie announced as she and Aeris walked through the front door.

"Ah, you found her, then," a woman's voice could be heard coming from another room, "Just a minute."

A moment later, a middle-aged woman emerged from the kitchen. Her dark hair was pulled up in a bun, and she wore a simple green dress. She removed her white apron and draped it over a chair nearby.

"So you must be Aeris," the woman smiled as she approached the two girls, "Vincent has told me a lot about you over the years. It's nice to finally get to meet you." She held out her hand. "I'm Elmyra Gainsborough."

"Pleased to meet you." Aeris shook the woman's hand. "Where's Sephiroth?"

"He's training a couple of rookies at our unofficial gym in Sector Four," said Elmyra, "Anyway- come with me."

She led the two girls out the back door. Aeris looked around and smiled at the sight around her.

To her left was a man-made waterfall. A huge skylight stood hundreds of feet above them, letting a bit of sunlight stream down. Ahead of her was a set of stairs leading to two large platforms, where two other buildings stood.

"Welcome to 'Elmyra's Bed & Breakfast'," Jessie gestured around her, "Also known as Avalanche Headquarters. This is where some of the members crash from time to time."

"Do you live here?" Aeris asked.

"Nah," Jessie shook her head, "I live with my older cousin Biggs and his buddy Wedge. They're the ones who got me into the organization."

"You'll be staying here," Elmyra opened the door to the first building and led the girls inside. She stopped at a door at the end of the hallway. "You'll be just across from Sephiroth."

Aeris opened the door and looked inside. It was a simple bedroom, as one would expect to find at a Bed & Breakfast. There was a dresser with a mirror on the far side of the room, while in the corner was a twin-sized bed, right across from a small closet. A plain beige rug lay in the center of the room.

"Oh, wow…" Aeris dropped her belongings and went over to the bed, plopping down on it. "Oh, it's so _soft!_" she rolled around on it.

"Geez…" Jessie couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's enthusiasm over an ordinary bed.

"The best sleeping bag in the world doesn't compare to this!" Aeris laughed happily, "I could lie here all day!"

"Then you're not interested in coming with me to see The Behemoths later tonight?" Jessie asked.

Aeris sat up. "The rock band?"

"The same," Jessie nodded, "They're playing a secret show at the Sector 3 club. I'd go with Biggs and Wedge normally, but they're training late tonight. Besides- I'm tired of hanging with those…_guys_ all the time. We'll make it a girls' night out. Please say yes! It should be way more interesting than lying around in that bed."

"I've never been to a rock concert before," Aeris said with a grin. "Sure, I'll go! Wow…this day just keeps getting better and better!"

Elmyra smiled. "Well, I hate to leave so soon, but I've got to finish dinner for six people…seven if Jessie decides to stay,"

"Which I will," Jessie interjected.

"Seven people, it is," Elmyra nodded, "All right. Jessie, perhaps you can introduce Aeris to the other three current tenants. I believe she knows them, actually."

As if on cue, loud footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. A couple other sets of steps followed behind.

"Where the hell is she?" an equally loud voice demanded.

"Oh my…" Aeris smiled, "I _do_ know that person…"

Elmyra chuckled as she left the room.

Barrett Wallace reached the bottom of the stairs and scanned the hallway until his eyes found Aeris. "Damn!" he exclaimed as he ran over to the girl and lifted her up into a giant bear hug, "Damned if I thought I'd ever see you again!"

He spun her around a bit before setting her back on the ground.

"I can't believe I'm seeing you either," said Aeris, "Ten years, it's been. I was speechless when Sephiroth wrote me after joining Avalanche, and told me that you were part of it."

"Damn, you sure did grow up," Barrett marveled as he looked at her, "I can see why you got that sword- must have to be fighting guys off left and right!"

Aeris blushed. "Not when most of the guys think I'm a freak."

"What?" Barrett exclaimed indignantly, "You take me to 'em an' I'll show them who's a 'freak'!"

"So no greeting for us?"

Barrett's old friends Dyne and Eleanor stood at the bottom of the stairs. Aeris remembered Sephiroth running off with them occasionally after work. They were the only other two people whom Sephiroth had considered to be his friends.

"Oh!" Aeris exclaimed, "I almost didn't recognize you two!"

"Same could be said for you," Eleanor said as she hugged the younger woman, "Oh, I'm so glad that the two of you were all right. And…I'm so sorry about your parents."

"There's still hope," Aeris quickly pointed out.

"Right," Eleanor corrected herself as she stepped back, "And I hope you find them eventually."

Aeris nodded. "Thank you."

"Guess I didn't need to re-introduce anybody," Jessie shrugged, "Stealing my thunder as usual, eh, Barrett?"

"Oh, hey, Jessie," Barrett finally noticed the other girl standing nearby.

"Ugh!" Jessie threw her hands up in frustration, "I swear, you take me for granted until I'm not around. Don't forget about dinner. See ya."

She left.

"So how did you end up falling in with Avalanche?" Aeris asked.

"It started with that damn fire," Barrett growled, "Ever since Shinra burned down your house…"

"They did what?!" Aeris looked horrified.

"You never saw what they did to your house?" Dyne looked surprised, "We all thought you and your family had died in that fire. I mean, it was a raging inferno, so we figured your bodies were turned to ashes."

"They re-named the park 'Lanier Memorial Park'," Barrett added.

Aeris looked at the ground sadly. Shinra really _had_ taken everything away from her. At least she still had Sephiroth, even if she was seeing him only once a month now.

"Five years ago, Barrett was in Rocket Town visiting friends," Eleanor continued, "He wandered off one night and ended up at some meeting of radical extremists. Those extremists were a separate branch of Avalanche. He told us everything he'd found out, and we eventually became part of the group's big plan."

"Avalanche is everywhere, huh?" Aeris commented.

"And growing," Dyne added, "It's all thanks to Vincent, _and_ Mrs. G. Ten years ago, Avalanche was just the name of an underground anti-Shinra newsletter. But when they cast their lot in with us, everything changed."

"That nice lady who's cooking dinner? What is she to Avalanche?" Aeris asked.

"Our 'den mother'," Dyne answered in a low voice, "Basically- her husband was a high-ranking member of SOLDIER, and he was making a very good living. Plus, he had saved his money. He went to Wutai fifteen years ago, against his will. He didn't believe in a lot of what Shinra was doing. Then he was killed in action. Well, Mrs. G. had already known Vincent, and he introduced her to the rest of Avalanche soon after. She never had any kids or anything, so she was able to use all of her husband's money to build the bed & breakfast, and she's been looking after all of us ever since."

"Amazing woman," said Eleanor.

Aeris nodded, impressed that this woman had turned a tragedy into something that could give people hope. It was the same thing she herself wanted to accomplish by joining Avalanche. "So what else have you been up to all these years?" she asked.

"Well, they finally got married." Barrett gestured toward Dyne and Eleanor.

Aeris grinned. "So you finally did it!" Dyne and Eleanor had been on-again, off-again sweethearts when Aeris was a little girl. "How long has it been?"

"Two years last month," Eleanor beamed.

Aeris smiled warmly. "Congratulations."

"Let's go see what Mrs. G. has going for dinner," Dyne suggested, "We'll catch up while we eat."

* * *

Vincent raised an eyebrow "A rock show?" he asked as he sat down on the sofa in Elmyra's living room later that evening.

The woman nodded. "Don't worry- it's just a club in Sector 3."

Vincent shook his head. "It's not that. I know Aeris will be fine, especially if Jessie's showing her around. She's grown strong these past ten years. She isn't the timid child she was when I first met her. It's actually rather comforting to hear it."

"She hasn't been able to live the life of a normal teenager, has she?"

"No," Vincent sighed, "And it's not good. At least Sephiroth was able to enjoy the first couple years of his adolescence."

Elmyra smiled. "She's like a daughter to you, isn't she?"

"Yes, I suppose," Vincent admitted, "That, and I also owe her father my sanity. Yet, it's been ten years since her parents disappeared, and we have very few leads. It's hard…trying to stop Shinra, and yet I have my own personal mission. I still can't help wondering if Sephiroth still blames me for their being kidnapped."

"Vincent…" Elmyra said as she sat down next to him, "You carry the world on your shoulders when you really shouldn't. You take the blame for every bad thing that happens. When are you going to stop doing that? At this rate, you'll drive yourself to an early grave."

"When Shinra Inc. has finally crumbled, then I may be able to relax," said Vincent, "But…at times I wonder. It's been ten years since your contributions turned this organization into what it is."

"_Our_ contributions," Elmyra corrected him, "I simply gave Avalanche the funds it needed and provided a safe haven. You're the one who trained our marksmen. And now your son is training future swordsmen. And you _did_ kill Hojo. Oh, I remember that celebration we all had when we heard that news. And to think I'd been worried that we didn't have enough skilled fighters when you were all we needed."

"What about the failed assassination attempt on President Shinra two years ago that cost two young adults their lives?" Vincent argued.

"An honest lapse in judgment," Elmyra told him, "We were pleased with the progress that we'd made, and thought that we could dispatch him."

"And instead, they were taken out by Turks hidden just as they were," Vincent continued, "Their tactics are much different now than they were twenty-five years ago. What's worse, we lost our best tactician."

Elmyra frowned. "I don't mean to speak ill of the dead, Vincent, but Fuhito was a very shifty young man. Besides, Sephiroth has filled the void quite nicely since then."

"Fuhito still didn't deserve to die. Nor did the shooter."

"Vincent, if you constantly blame yourself, then why do you continue to stay here and fight?"

"What else is there for me to do?" Vincent shrugged. "I'm in too deep to back out now. I'm just short of being a wanted felon. Until Shinra is gone, I won't be able to just live out my life in peace, and neither will my son, nor Aeris, or anyone else who has been targeted by them."

Elmyra nodded. The two sat in silence for some time.

"When do you expect Aeris to return?" Vincent asked finally.

"Probably not until eleven or so," Elmyra looked at the clock.

"Very well," Vincent stood up. "I'll be in my room for the rest of the evening should you need me. If not, then goodnight."

"Goodnight, Vincent," Elmyra smiled.

* * *

"Where did you learn how to use a staff?" Jessie asked as she and Aeris sat at a table near the stage, "I saw you working out with it right before dinner. You're really good."

"Cosmo Canyon," Aeris answered, "We'd just settled there, and it was just something for me to do after school. Plus, Sephiroth figured he couldn't be with me all the time, and was worried I couldn't defend myself, so he was the one who suggested it in the first place. It was my...foster mother, I guess you could say, who actually taught me."

"How long did you spend there?"

"Cosmo Canyon? Oh, about three years," Aeris answered. Her expression sobered. "Then my foster father was gunned down. He was an Avalanche member."

"The funeral raid," said Jessie, "Yeah, everyone in Avalanche knows about that. I didn't know that guy who was killed was close to you. I'm really sorry."

Aeris smiled sadly before continuing: "We ended up in Costa Del Sol where we lived next door to another Avalanche contact for two years. Unfortunately, that seemed to turn into a favorite vacationing spot for Turks in the wintertime, so Vincent decided we should get out of there immediately. So, we lived near Fort Condor by ourselves since then. Vincent would show up occasionally. He even gave me my staff and sheath on my fifteenth birthday. I think weapons are the only present Vincent knows how to buy for me. Three years ago, Sephiroth officially joined Avalanche, and I was on my own a lot more."

"Yeah, I met Sephiroth two years ago when I joined," said Jessie.

"How old are you?" Aeris asked.

"Nineteen," Jessie replied, "What about you?"

"Seventeen. We had a neighbor who looked after me a bit whenever Sephiroth was away. Mrs. Gainsborough reminds me of her, actually. What do _you_ do, anyway? Sephiroth told me that everyone has a specialty. What's yours?"

Jessie smiled proudly. "That fake I.D. that says you're eighteen that got you into the club? That's only part of what I do. Before I can make fake I.D.'s, I have to hack into the system where such the real I.D.'s come from, download the specs, and copy them just so. Haven't messed one up yet."

"You're a hacker?" Aeris asked.

Jessie frowned, slightly annoyed. "I _prefer_ the term 'computer guru'. You have to know a lot about how computers work in order to hack."

Aeris snickered. It sounded like semantic nonsense to her, but if it made Jessie happy, she'd address her as such.

"What about you?" Jessie asked, "Sephiroth said you were a healer. How's that work?"

A playful look sparkled in Aeris' eyes. "Sorry...can't reveal all my secrets just yet."

"Oh, we'll wear you down," Jessie teased. She then changed the subject:"So did you not have a decent bed in Fort Condor? That was a pretty ordinary bed you were making such a fuss over earlier. One would think you had just gotten a king-sized memory foam mattress."

"My old bed only had one mattress," Aeris explained, "And I had to camp out on the way here, so it's a nice change."

"Everyone put your hands together for The Behemoths!" the emcee yelled from the stage.

The entire room exploded into wild applause.

"YEAH!" yelled a young man with black spiky hair, "ROCK AND ROLL!"

He began pounding his hands against the table where he sat.

Aeris and Jessie looked at the man's enthusiastic reaction and laughed.

The lights suddenly shone on the stage, and a five-piece glam band began to play.

"I _love _this song!" the spiky-haired man shouted at the kid sitting next to him.

His companion, a youth with blond, equally spiky hair, slid downward in his chair, clearly embarrassed by his friend's behavior.

Aeris leaned back in her chair, enjoying the show. She'd heard this band's songs on the radio for the past two years, but there was definitely something different about seeing them in the flesh and hearing them up close.

"Shit…!" Jessie exclaimed suddenly, clenching her fist.

Aeris looked alarmed. "What's the matter?"

"Don't look now," Jessie said worriedly, "But a couple of Turks just came in."

"What?!" Aeris looked panicked.

"Don't worry- I don't think they're after anyone," Jessie reassured her, "I think they're just here to see the band…not that it makes it any better…"

Aeris glanced around nervously and found the Turks that Jessie was talking about. There were two of them sitting in the back of the room. One was a tall, muscular bald man with sunglasses dangling from his shirt collar. The other was a lanky guy closer to Aeris and Jessie's ages, with wild red hair that stood out in every direction.

"I said not to look!" Jessie scolded the younger girl.

"Sorry...but do you know them?" Aeris asked.

"Oh, no. I've never seen those two before. But…they're Turks. They're Shinra's most evil product, if you ask me."

"They can't be all evil," Aeris tried to reassure her, "Vincent used to be a Turk."

"_Used_ to be," Jessie pointed out, "He wised up, and is Avalanche's leader now. He's looked after you and Sephiroth. Yeah, he's Mr. Doom-and-Gloom most of the time, but he's not a bad guy at all. The ones still wearing the suits…they're scum."

"Well…" Aeris looked at the stage, "Forget about them- I mean, do you really wanna let those guys ruin your whole evening? You like this band, right? Just concentrate on them."

"I suppose you're right," Jessie acknowledged.

The red-haired Turk had been watching the show while nursing a bottle of beer for a few minutes. Now, he had begun to glare at the spiky-haired man, who was now singing along loudly and off-key, trying to get his blond friend to join him. Finally, he got up and went over to their table.

"Hey," he tapped the man on his shoulder, "You're totally killing my buzz right now."

"What? I can't enjoy myself?" the young man asked with a grin.

"Not if you're gonna keep pissing me off like that," the Turk replied.

"Hey, man," the guy leaned back in his chair, "Come on- we're here to just kick back and relax. It's all in fun!"

The redhead snorted derisively. "What, are you auditioning for backing vocals or something?"

"If he wants to sing along, then let him!"

The Turk turned around to see Jessie standing behind him, arms crossed.

"What the hell is it to ya?" he scowled.

"You come in here thinking you can pick on anyone who annoys you," Jessie sputtered angrily, "I've seen it before- you Turks are all the same! Midgar is your own little playground, and everyone here is merely a tool for your entertainment!"

"_Don't_ try to freaking analyze me!" the Turk shouted, shoving his finger in Jessie's face. Jessie angrily slapped the Turk's hand away, causing him to raise his weapon, a taser stick, toward her.

"Hey!"

The blond kid stood up and was now glaring at the Turk.

"What- you got a problem too, pretty-boy?" the redhead sneered, "Bring it on."

"Please…" Aeris went over to them, "Let's not cause a scene. The band went through all this trouble to play a small, intimate gig for their fans. Let's not ruin it all just because one fan has a lousy voice."

"Hey!" the raven-haired young man exclaimed indignantly.

The older Turk approached the table. "Reno, for once in your life, just shut up and sit down."

His companion spun around to face him. "But Rude-!"

"Let it go," the bald man waved his hand, "How do you expect to get anywhere in this line of work if you let any little thing provoke you into fighting?"

"But if I'm outnumbered-!"

"You brought that on yourself," Rude grabbed Reno's arm and dragged him away, "Let's go hit the bar down the street. This place doesn't even have anything decent to drink…"

Jessie watched the two leave the club. "It never changes…" she muttered, shaking her head.

"Well!" the dark-haired man smiled brightly, "It isn't every day that I get two lovely ladies rushing to my defense."

"He had no right," Jessie stated angrily.

"Well regardless…" the young man stood up and pulled out the other two empty chairs at his table, "Why don't you sit down and join us?"

Aeris looked at Jessie, who shrugged. The two girls sat down.

"My name's Zack," the man gestured at himself, "That's my buddy Cloud."

Cloud waved uncomfortably, his moment of bravery having faded now that he was in the company of the two pretty girls.

Aeris beamed at the young men. "Pleased to meet you both. I'm Aeris, and this is Jessie."

"You guys big fans?" Zack asked.

"Hell yeah!" Jessie exclaimed, "I'm still amazed that I was lucky enough to find out about the show. How'd you guys find out?"

"Let's just say we have connections," Zack said with a smirk, "Did you know that they're actually in the studio working on a new album?"

"They are?" Aeris looked excited.

"Yeah, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they play some of the new songs tonight," said Zack.

"Hey, can we hold off on the conversation for a bit?" Jessie butted in as the band started another song, "This one's my favorite!"

Zack rolled his eyes. "Okay, since _you_ asked me nicely…!"

* * *

"Man, that _rocked!_" Jessie exclaimed as she and Aeris approached the bed & breakfast.

"Those two guys were kinda cute, don't you think?" Aeris asked.

"Cloud was kind of a babe," Jessie admitted, "He's kinda young, though. He'll probably be a total hottie in a few more years."

"I think they're both attractive in different ways," said Aeris, "Zack's definitely handsome, and a really nice guy. Cloud has that shy but adorable way about him…"

"They didn't ask for our numbers, though," Jessie pointed out before opening the door.

"I thought you didn't live here," Aeris recalled.

"I do," Jessie nodded, "But it's late, and I'm too scared to walk home alone at night. There's usually one empty room, so I can just crash there for tonight."

"Hmm..." Aeris peered curiously at Jessie.

"What?" Jessie touched her face, "Do I have something?"

"Most people our age would never admit to being scared," Aeris remarked almost teasingly.

Jessie briefly glanced down at her hands, before quickly shoving them into her pockets.

"It's stupid to put on an act," she said flatly, "Especially if you live in Midgar. Most people just don't learn, though."

Taken aback by Jessie's sudden change in demeanor, Aeris only nodded. Her new friend was only a couple of years older than her, yet she seemed to have a certain hardness about her that came out a few times today. Were all young people in Midgar like that?

They stepped inside the lobby, greeting the receptionist. They continued on to the common area. In one of the chairs near the one lamp in the room sat Sephiroth, reading a book.

"Sephy!" Aeris exclaimed as she ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck.

Jessie snickered silently upon hearing Aeris' old nickname for the swordsman.

"Out rather late, don't you think?" Sephiroth commented.

"I wanted to see my first rock show," Aeris told him as she stepped back.

"Jessie." Sephiroth nodded politely at the other girl.

"Hey, Seph," Jessie yawned. "Man, I'm gonna fall asleep standing up in a minute. Guess I'll go see which room I'll be sleeping in tonight."

"Goodnight," said Aeris, "Thanks for a fun time!"

"No problem. 'Night, you two."

"Goodnight," Sephiroth called after her.

"It's so good to see you again!" Aeris said excitedly, "I'm so glad I came to Midgar!"

"Right into the lions' den," Sephiroth reminded her.

"Ugh! Are you going to try and talk me into going back to Fort Condor _again?_" Aeris rolled her eyes, "Because I told you it's not going to work."

"You should have at least finished high school," Sephiroth told her.

"What for?" Aeris snorted, "As much as I would have loved to go to college like a normal girl, you and I both know that's impossible considering the files Shinra has on us. Besides, I would have already graduated last spring if it wasn't for the _Shinra_ making us have to move around like we did."

"I wish it could be different," Sephiroth said as he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead.

"I know you'd change everything if you could. That's what I love about you." Aeris put her arms around Sephiroth again, and then frowned. "Really Seph, why do you always get so stiff when I hug you? There used to be a time when you could take a hug without getting so rigid."

_There used to be a time when _you_ didn't have breasts…_Sephiroth thought grimly.

"I guess I'll turn in now," she paused, and spoke in a softer tone, "…I'm glad we're together again, Sephy."

"Must you still call me that?" Sephiroth muttered.

Aeris giggled. "Goodnight, 'big brother'."

She left.

_Ah, Aeris,_ Sephiroth thought miserably,_ I left you behind to protect you, and yet you still had to follow me eventually…what's going to happen now…?_

* * *

A/N: Yeah, I put another FF6 reference in this chapter, only it's a little more obscure. See if you can spot it! Hint: it's in the dialogue.


	8. Chapter 8: The First Mission

Chapter 8: The First Mission

_ "Was it another nightmare?" Sephiroth asked as he saw the fourteen-year-old sitting in the kitchen._

_ "They…were dead." Aeris whispered._

_ Sephiroth did not need to know who "they" were._

_ "It was a dream." Sephiroth reminded her, "Just a dream."_

_ "Were you watching TV in your room?" Aeris asked._

_ Sephiroth nodded._

_ "Can I come watch with you?"_

_ Sephiroth felt uneasy. Yet, against his better judgment, he nodded again._

_ Aeris smiled and walked on ahead of him toward his bedroom._

_ She had already slid her legs under the covers, leaning back against the headboard when Sephiroth had closed the door._

_ "More nature shows?" Aeris asked, frowning._

_ "I suppose you'd rather watch those adult-themed cartoons?"_

_ "Ugh- you make it sound dirty when you describe it that way. It's adult _humor_. There's a big difference."_

_ Sephiroth reluctantly slid underneath the covers. "Would you like to watch your grown-up cartoons, then?"_

_ "No, you can keep it there. I'm just a guest in your room, after all."_

_ "Feeling better now?"_

_ "Yeah, a little. As long as you're around, it'll be okay. As long as you never leave."_

_ Suddenly, Sephiroth was seized with desire. Without warning, he grabbed Aeris, his arms encircling her waist._

_ "Sephy- what are you doing?" she asked, genuinely confused._

_ "Don't be afraid…" Sephiroth softly whispered in her ear, "I never will leave you. Ever. Aeris, I love you…"_

_ "I love you too, big brother…" Aeris faltered._

_ "No…" Sephiroth suddenly clamped his hand over her mouth. "No more 'big brother'. No more 'little sister'."_

_ He released his hand._

_ "What's going on…?" Aeris whimpered, frightened._

_ "It's different now." Sephiroth whispered as he turned her around, and then kissed her mouth. He was interrupted as Aeris managed to wriggle free and slap him hard across the face, before leaping out of the bed._

_ "What is WRONG with you?!" she exclaimed, both frightened and angry._

_Sephiroth's eyes narrowed in anger. He would not be denied. He jumped out of the bed and headed straight for the terrified girl._

* * *

Sephiroth sat up in bed, gasping for breath. After a few moments, he fell back on his pillow, cursing. He lifted his hand up to his cheek. The slap had felt so real this time...

She had come, and so had that dream. Always that dream...for the past three years, no less. But before...the slap always had woken him up. Now, the dream had a coda. He had been angry and run after her...to do...?

He knew.

_No!_

He felt sick to his stomach, a rare occurrence for him. Falling back onto his pillow, he glanced at the clock. Three in the morning.

Sephiroth was a man who had prided himself on his restraint. Yet Aeris had always been a weakness. He had broken bones, uttered threats that he knew he'd carry out in a second, and had felt compelled to kill...all for her safety. What was worse was that she would never ask him to behave in such a ruthless manner.

As always, he had to wonder how much of his temperament and behavior was Hojo's doing, and how much was simply Sephiroth being a naturally sick bastard. As easy as it would be to blame the dead scientist, he simply couldn't allow himself to make excuses like that.

He groaned into his pillow. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

It began three years ago.

Sephiroth had been working as a farm hand a couple of miles away from town, while Aeris attended the small school in Condor Village. It had always been the two of them, save for Vincent's occasional visits.

He and Aeris hadn't been extremely social people due to their fear of being found by Shinra. Also, Aeris had unfortunately been branded a "freak" after being caught by her fellow classmates in a trance on more than one occasion. It couldn't be helped. According to Aeris, the Planet's voice simply became louder and difficult to resist during the onset of puberty. According to what Ifalna had told her long ago, it had been the same with her mother.

However, at a certain point, Aeris had begun bringing home a certain male classmate quite often. He was new in town and wasn't prejudiced like the other kids.

He'd come home late one evening and found the two of them sitting in the field behind the small house they lived in. They were just talking, but the boy then had the gall to put his arm around Aeris' shoulder. Aeris hadn't seemed to mind at all.

Sephiroth found himself fighting the urge to march over there and break the kid's arm. Then he came to his senses and wondered why on earth he would want to do that. He had no good reason, but he still hated the idea of that punk touching Aeris like that.

_Jealousy?_

Sephiroth shook his head violently as he pushed that sudden thought out of his head. Jealous of the boy?! Aeris was still a child! Sephiroth being jealous would imply that he, a twenty-two-year-old man, _wanted_ a fourteen-year-old girl. A girl that he'd always looked upon as his kid sister her whole life.

Pushing the filthy thought out of his head, and convincing himself that the boy had no dishonorable intentions, he left the two alone and went inside. Aeris joined him about a half-hour later, blushing furiously. No doubt she and the boy had kissed. His suspicions were confirmed when he'd casually asked Aeris where she'd been, and the girl had squirmed and made up a story about talking to the Planet. She was still awful at lying, but Sephiroth had let the issue go.

Then, about two weeks later, Aeris came home from school in tears. She'd told Sephiroth the entire story about her fling with the boy. Apparently, on her way home, she'd caught him kissing another girl, who had convinced him to avoid the "loser".

He listened patiently and sympathetically, and told her the boy wasn't worth crying over. He'd put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, but then she threw her arms around him as she continued to let it all out.

Sephiroth had never felt more uncomfortable in his life than he did then. His "little sister" was sitting in his lap, her body pressed against his. She hadn't done that since she was ten…there was a significant difference now that she was older and beginning to blossom. These were moments that usually led to something else...something else that he certainly did not want to name at the time.

Panicking, he had stood up and excused himself, apologizing profusely. Cursing himself later for being so weak during Aeris' vulnerable state, he came back half an hour later. He set down a large carton of ice cream that he'd picked up from the nearby grocer, urging Aeris to eat as much as she wanted.

"That's what women always seem to do in the movies after a breakup, isn't it?" he had said with a shrug.

Aeris had found his gesture to be amusing, but was grateful nonetheless. She'd hugged him again, and he'd felt the same uneasiness rising up once more.

After a fitful night's sleep, where the nightmare had started, he'd called Vincent the next day, asking if Avalanche needed a good swordsman.

Before leaving for Midgar, he'd had the most awkward talk with Aeris about the birds and the bees that anyone had probably ever had. Still, he had felt somewhat relieved after the girl had laughed and promised him that she wasn't going to turn into a harlot while he was away.

He'd felt guilty about leaving Aeris alone, but thought that some time apart might put things into perspective. Maybe he'd find someone closer to his age. He knew Aeris would do the same eventually.

He'd initially worried that she would be upset by his decision, but she'd actually seemed a little excited by the idea of being on her own(save for the neighbor who had agreed to look in on her from time to time).

And so he'd arrived at Midgar, as the newest member of Avalanche. He'd been assigned to train a couple of members in the art of the sword, as well as going on minor missions. Most of them involved going outside of Midgar to relay information to other branches of the ever-increasing organization.

Today, however, was different. A week after Aeris' arrival, Vincent had assembled some of the members in the common area of the bed & breakfast. He'd announced that they would be undertaking a special mission, advising everyone to get a good night's sleep.

"This will, in essence, be our first major mission since the assassination attempt two years ago," Vincent addressed the small crowd standing before him the next evening.

Sephiroth, Barrett, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie listened as their leader continued:

"Our mission is to destroy the Sector 1 Mako Reactor. You all know the reasons why. We'll be boarding the train that takes us past there. On my command, we'll all jump out. There's bound to be several guards there, so I trust everyone's properly armed?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good. And I will stress this: do not kill _any_ of them unless your own life is in danger. The people behind Shinra are evil, but that doesn't necessarily mean that all of its employees are. Which is why Biggs, Wedge, and Barrett will be our decoys. Once we get the guards away, by trickery or by force, then Jessie, Sephiroth, and I will proceed to set the bomb. We won't have a lot of time after that, so we'll need to move quickly. This will be a dangerous mission. You still have a chance to back out right now."

Nobody moved.

"Very well. Any questions?"

Silence.

"Then let's move out. Down with the Shinra."

"Down with the Shinra!" everyone chorused.

* * *

"Thank goodness this train is practically empty," Jessie whispered to her cousin.

Biggs nodded in agreement. "Just a couple drunks. They won't exactly be credible witnesses to what we're about to do,"

Vincent stepped in between the two. "Get ready," he told them, "We'll be forcing the emergency doors open in a minute,"

Jessie looked around to see her comrades waiting by the two doors on the right-hand side of the car. Sephiroth stood directly under the escape hatch on the roof, ready to jump up and open it when the time came.

"Now!"

Barrett effortlessly yanked the red lever to the side, the door sliding open instantly. At the same time, Wedge did the same with the other door, and Sephiroth grabbed his sword by its sheath, slamming the hilt into the door above him, which popped off like the lid of a jar.

The silver-haired swordsman jumped up, grabbing either side of the hatch and pulling himself up. He scrambled to his feet and quickly leaped off the moving train, landing gracefully next to his companions.

"Shit…" Barrett muttered as he shook his head in wonder.

Sephiroth smirked at his old friend as he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head. "Try to contain yourself, Barrett. We're on a mission."

"Smart-ass…" Barrett grumbled as he and the others ran to the end of the platform where five MPs stood guard. He, Wedge, and Vincent aimed their guns carefully at the MPs' legs and fired.

The guards' cries of pain eventually faded as they collapsed.

"Sleepel spell?" Jessie looked at Vincent.

The gunslinger nodded, and led the group past the gate into the grounds of the reactor. Soon, they reached a door.

"Where the hell d'ya open this?" Barrett scowled.

"I'll handle it…" Jessie went up to the control panel on the side and pressed several buttons. The door slid open.

"How the hell did you know what to punch in?" Barrett scratched his head.

Jessie couldn't help but smile proudly. "I hacked into the system and found out everything about the reactor."

"Let's go!" Vincent urged.

The six ran down the hallway until they came face-to-face with two Roboguards.

"My turn," Sephiroth drew his sword.

"Don't hog all the glory, hotshot," Barrett held up his machine gun, "Everyone else, stay back!"

Vincent, Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie obeyed and backed up about ten feet. Barrett unleashed his fury on the large mechanical guards. Sephiroth simply stood back and held up his sword, releasing the power of his mastered lightning materia.

Barrett cursed and jumped back as sparks began flying everywhere. The Roboguards collapsed in a series of small explosions. When they died down, the group continued on their way until they reached an elevator.

Jessie entered another code, and the door opened. Everyone ran inside.

"When we get off, this is where we split up," Vincent addressed the group, "Be on your guard- this is where things get crucial. Keep your walkie-talkies handy…"

* * *

Sephiroth watched as the last of the Roboguards near the core of the reactor collapsed. He and Vincent had battled eight of them, and four MPs since the group had split up. The MPs were dragged away by Barrett, Biggs and Wedge, who had been kept on standby.

Finally, the trio reached their destination.

Sephiroth pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Are the guards safely out of the way?"

"_Yeah,"_ Biggs answered, _"All the guards we expected to find are accounted for. Are you at the spot?"_

"We are," Sephiroth affirmed, "Wait for us at the meeting place. We should be there in fifteen to twenty minutes,"

"_Roger,"_

"Jessie- do your thing," Vincent ordered the girl.

"Right." Jessie knelt down and began to set the bomb.

"See anything?" Sephiroth asked his father.

"No," Vincent shook his head, "All's well for now."

"Done!" Jessie stood up after a minute.

Suddenly, an alarm went off. The trio heard a crashing sound, and looked around until they saw a large mechanical scorpion approaching them.

"Shit!" Jessie cursed, "I saw the blueprints for these! Attack when the tail's down! Otherwise, it'll counter with its laser!"

Sephiroth raised his sword and unleashed an Aqua Breath spell on the robot. It instantly short-circuited and crashed to the ground.

"…Or just forget what I said," Jessie said, stunned.

"Go!" Vincent commanded, "We have ten minutes to detonation. Hopefully, the others are already on their way out."

The three ran back the way they came, thankfully without any trouble this time.

Jessie struggled behind Sephiroth and Vincent, but kept quiet. Shouting for them to wait up would only attract unwanted attention from any remaining guards.

The two men ran through the door at the end of the catwalk. Just then, Jessie tripped and crashed to the ground, crying out in pain despite herself. She quickly got to her feet, only to feel something sharp poking her in the back.

"Turn around, and don't try anything," a somewhat familiar male voice told her.

Jessie gulped and turned around slowly, then gasping as she saw who stood behind her.

Zack's eyes widened as he lowered his large sword slightly. "It's you!"

"You're a SOLDIER…" Jessie shook her head, "So that's what your 'connections' were…"

"Look…" Zack pleaded, "Just get out of here and don't come near here again- I haven't seen a single corpse so you're not a murderer. I don't want to have to fight you!"

"I could say the same for you," Jessie held up her whip, "We've already done what we needed to do- if you don't follow me out of here, your life is as good as over."

"Don't underestimate me," Zack told her.

"Don't underestimate _me!_" Jessie snapped, "There's a bomb at the reactor that's set to explode in six minutes! It would take you that long just to get to the bomb. There's no way you can disarm it. Please, just run away- I don't want to see you get killed!"

Zack glared at her for a moment before he growled and lowered his sword.

"So much for my raise…" he muttered before he ran.

Jessie sighed in relief as she followed him.

* * *

"There you are!" Barrett exclaimed as he saw Jessie arrive at the meeting place. Everyone else had already made it there.

"Sorry I'm late," Jessie panted, "I fell, and then had an encounter with one of the guards. Thankfully, he valued his own life enough to leave me alone after I told him about the bomb."

"We're all here, then," Vincent observed, "Good."

Just then, a deafening blast could be heard. Everyone turned around to see the reactor enveloped in flames.

"Was all _that_ from my bomb?" Jessie exclaimed, "Geez! I completely underestimated it!"

"Didn't you know how big the blast would be when you built it?" Sephiroth asked her.

"I must've made a miscalculation somewhere," Jessie sighed. "Ah well. I should be proud, not frustrated. That was my debut as a bomber! Maybe eventually, I can ditch the whip and just bomb the hell out of everything!"

"Just don't blow your arm off if you underestimate things again," Vincent told her. "Good job, everyone. We'll split up again, and meet at headquarters."

The group broke up into pairs. Jessie left with Biggs, and Barrett left with Wedge, leaving Vincent and Sephiroth to find their way back together.

"We should have kept an eye on Jessie," Sephiroth shook his head in disgust, "If anything had gone wrong, we wouldn't have been able to protect her."

Vincent grimaced. The boy was right.

"Are you really going to put Aeris in that kind of danger?" Sephiroth asked.

"Aeris isn't ready for a mission like ours," Vincent acknowledged, "More likely, she'll be doing low-level assignments for a while."

Sephiroth clenched the hilt of his sword. "She should have stayed in Condor Village."

"Aeris is old enough to make her own decisions," said Vincent, "It's time for you to stop playing the role of the over-protective brother _and_ parent. You've known that girl her whole life. Have a little faith in her."

"I promised myself I'd always protect her," Sephiroth told the gunslinger.

"By leaving her alone at the age of fourteen to participate in our missions?" Vincent eyed his son, "Frankly, I'm not entirely convinced that the reasons you gave at the time are the whole story. I didn't say anything then, but your recent attitude over this whole situation is further proof that there's more than meets the eye in this situation."

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed. "Let's just get back to headquarters."

Vincent knew better than to press his son further when he had that expression on his face. "As you wish," he said.

* * *

The two reached the bed & breakfast half-an-hour later. Vincent silently made his way to Elmyra's house, while Sephiroth entered the main building to grab a snack. He was about to go into the pantry when he noticed a familiar figure sprawled out on the couch.

Sephiroth went over to Aeris and gently nudged her awake.

"Hey," Aeris yawned as she sat up, "So how'd it go?"

"Mission accomplished," Sephiroth smiled faintly. "And don't worry- none of us had to kill anyone."

Aeris sighed in relief. "Good," she said, "I'm glad to know we don't have to stoop down to Shinra's level."

"Go back to your room," Sephiroth told her, "I'm fine. These missions are only going to increase, depending on how much success we have. You'll get old before your time if you keep worrying about everyone."

"Don't worry," Aeris reassured him, "I won't be waiting up for a while. Mrs. G assigned me a mission of my own. I'll be leaving the day after tomorrow, once I'm briefed and fully prepared."

Sephiroth's eyes widened in alarm.

"Relax," Aeris giggled, "It's nothing like bombing a reactor. I just need to relay the news to the people in Gongaga. Normally Jessie would just send an email, but technology there hasn't caught up with us just yet. And Mrs. G doesn't trust the postal system, plus we know the news networks can't be trusted."

Sephiroth frowned, saying nothing.

"Stop looking at me like that." Aeris looked exasperated. "Sometimes I think you still look at me like I'm seven and not seventeen. I'm not the crybaby I used to be, y'know. And I owe a lot of that to you."

"I'm…just tired," Sephiroth lied, "I should go, actually. I just came to grab a bite to eat. We still need to brief Mrs. G on what happened on the mission. And you should go to bed. You'll probably be spending most of tomorrow getting ready for your journey."

"All right," Aeris yawned again as she got up off the couch, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Aeris."

Sephiroth watched the girl go upstairs, and then hurried into the pantry, grabbing an apple before he took off.

"You're late." Elmyra frowned as the swordsman sauntered into the meeting room. "We've been waiting for you."

"Sorry," Sephiroth apologized as he sat down and took a bite of his apple.

"All I've been told so far is that the mission was a success," said Elmyra.

"Yes," Vincent nodded, "I suppose we can start from the beginning…"

* * *

A/N: Just wanted to share another big difference between the reboot and the original story: Fuhito's fate. In the previous chapter, it's mentioned that he was killed during an attempt on the president's life, meaning that "Spark of Sedition", the sequel, can't happen. Any old readers will likely notice that both "Spark of Sedition" and "Missing Pieces" are gone. Why? Because "Spark" was a dismal failure with a forced and awkward climax. I could practically hear the crickets chirping when I finally posted the last few chapters. Clearly, many readers had also given up on this series by the time "Missing Pieces" came about, because the traffic was dismal.

I want to resurrect this series if possible, and take it in a different direction. I know eventually I may have to re-post the last chapter of "Life Renewed, Love Renewed" by the time this reboot is finished, as Vincent's altered fate will affect the ending of that story. Nothing earth-shattering, but still worth including.

The post-adventure one-shots will remain posted, as Aeris and Sephiroth's large madhouse of a family will not be affected. :)


End file.
